After a Varanasi court ordered an archaeological survey at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi Mosque premises, noted lawyer and Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi on Friday pointed out that the Places of Worship Act, 1991 prohibited inquiry into such places including Kashi and Mathura.
His party colleague and Lok Sabha member Manish Tewari too asked if a civil court judge is even competent to give such a direction against a law upheld by a Constitutional bench of the Supreme Court.
At the official press conference, Congress chief Randeep Surjewala said he would like to read the civil court’s orders and not comment on news reports.
He claimed that it was astonishing for the judge to pass interim orders as it could only be done so after the Act was struck down.
“The 1991 Act specifically includes #Kashi & #mathura places of worship 2bar inquiry into such places, its astonishing how civil judge cld pass the interim direction for #ASI inquiry, unless #1991act repealed or struck down!!” tweeted Mr. Singhvi.
