PRAYAGRAJ: The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday extended the stay on a survey of the Gyanvapi mosque premises by the Archaeological Survey of India till Thursday.

After hearing a plea by Anjuman Intezamia Masjid, which manages the mosque, against the ASI survey, Chief Justice Pritinker Diwaker posted the matter for further hearing on Thursday.

The court ordered that the stay on the ASI survey will continue till then.

The hearing of the case will resume at 3:30 pm on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the matter was heard by the court in the morning session and the hearing resumed at 4:30 in the evening.

During the hearing in the evening, ASI officials were also called in the court.

Arguments in the matter were presented by the mosque management committee and the Hindu side.

Earlier, on Monday, Supreme Court had directed that the Varanasi district court order on conducting a scientific survey of Gyanvapi mosque shall not be enforced until 5 pm on July 26.

On Monday morning, a 30-member team of the ASI had entered the mosque complex to carry out the scientific survey in accordance with court orders to determine if the mosque located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple was built upon a temple.

A Varanasi court had directed the ASI on July 21 to conduct a "detailed scientific survey" -- including excavations, wherever necessary -- to determine if the mosque was built at a place where a temple existed earlier.

(With inputs from ENS)