Today, the Supreme Court directed that order of 21st July, passed by the Varanasi District Court for the ASI survey of the masjid should not be enforced till 5 PM on July 26.

The Court passed this order to allow some "breathing time" to the Gyanvapi Masjid committee to approach the Allahabad High Court challenging the District Court's order, considering that it was passed on a Friday evening and clarified that it has not gone into the merits of the matter.

Further, the Court directed the Masjid Committee to approach the High Court tomorrow itself and requested the High Court Chief Justice to allow a hearing before the interim order expires on July 26.

Last year, in May, the Supreme Court of India had deferred the "scientific survey", including carbon dating, of the "Shivling" that was said to have been found at the Gyanvapi mosque complex during a videographic survey conducted last year.

The top court's order had come days after Allahabad High Court directed the ASI to conduct a scientific survey of the structure that Hindu petitioners claimed is a "Shivling". The Gyanvapi mosque authorities had said the structure is a part of a fountain in the "wazukhana", where people perform ablutions before offering namaz.

In September last year, the Varanasi district judge had dismissed a challenge by the mosque committee that argued that the case by the women has no legal standing.