In its public interest litigation (PIL), the Hindu Front for Justice claimed that there was a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati at the 11th century site and after demolishing the temple, its remains were reused to build a mosque.On the fourth day of the hearing, advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, appearing for one of the petitioners, completed his arguments before a division bench of Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi. Jain submitted that a Saraswati temple existed at the site and alleged that “Muslim rulers with a mindset opposed to idol worship” demolished the Hindu place of worship and reused its remains to construct a mosque in the complex.To support his arguments, Jain cited the ASI’s 2024 Scientific Survey Report prepared on the instructions of the High Court, its replies and affidavits, and historical documents published by the central government agency in 1902 and 1904. He claimed that the ASI material based on the actual condition of the site supports the petitioner’s case.“This does not mean that the ASI is taking sides. The ASI is merely putting the facts on record based on what is available at the site,” Jain told the court. He also told the court that the report listed numerous evidences of the temple present at the site, including remains of religious symbols, Sanskrit inscriptions and sculptures.However, when Jain began to mention parts of the scientific survey report in detail, a senior lawyer representing the Center objected and insisted that it was the job of the ASI lawyer to “display” his findings before the court. Counsel for one of the intervenors from the Muslim side also objected and argued that the petitioner is relying on the documents of the respondent (ASI) to support his case, which is not admissible under law.After considering the objections, the high court allowed Jain to highlight certain relevant parts of the ASI report, which functions under the Union Ministry of Culture.On March 11, 2024, the High Court had directed the ASI to conduct a scientific survey of the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Masjid complex. The survey began on March 22, 2024, and the ASI submitted its report on July 15, 2024, after 98 days of the exercise. The more than 2,000-page report indicates that a large structure from the Paramara period (9th to 13th century) existed on the site before the mosque, and parts of the temples were reused in the present complex.The Muslim side has questioned the ASI survey and rejected the Hindu side’s claim that the site was originally a temple, alleging that some of the material included in the survey was “introduced through the back door.”