The Varanasi court has approved an additional 10-day period for the Archaeological Survey of India to submit its findings report regarding the Gyanvapi mosque premises. This marks the fourth instance of the archaeological body receiving an extension to finalize and file its scientific survey report, despite the survey being concluded a month earlier.

Two days ago, the AI had requested a 21-day extension, a motion that faced opposition from the mosque committee. The court in Varanasi had mandated the survey on July 21, following a petition by four women seeking authorization to pray at the premises.

In April of last year, the court directed a video survey of the complex in response to the petition filed. The subsequent survey, carried out in May, unveiled a structure within the Wuzukhana that the petitioners identified as a 'shivling'. However, the Wuzukhana area has been excluded from the scientific survey due to a specific directive from the Supreme Court. Situated adjacent to the renowned Kashi Vishwanath Temple, the mosque has stirred controversy as some right-wing activists assert the existence of a temple at the site, purportedly demolished during the 17th century under the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

Following the contentious disputes in Ayodhya and Mathura, the Gyanvapi issue marks the third significant temple-mosque conflict that propelled the BJP to national prominence during the '80s and '90s. Presently, Uttar Pradesh is already in the midst of a legal case concerning the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Masjid Idgah dispute. This ongoing case adds to the complex landscape of religious and historical disputes in the region.

The petitioners assert that the structure in question, located within the 13.37-acre premises of the Katra Keshav Dev temple, stands on the birthplace of Lord Krishna.