Thursday’s directive by a Varanasi court for an archaeological survey of the Gyanvapi area came while a petition questioning the hearing in the lower court was pending with Allahabad High Court, the Muslim side said on Friday.

It said civil judge Ashutosh Tiwari’s order was therefore bad in jurisprudence and would be challenged in the high court.

The 30-year-old petition sought the radar technology survey to ascertain whether parts of the original Kashi Vishwanath temple lay under the Gyanvapi mosque.

M.R. Shamshad, who is fighting the case for the Gyanvapi Anjuman Intzamiya (management) Committee, said the Muslim side had petitioned the high court in 2019 asking that the petition be no longer heard in the lower courts. “The high court had reserved its judgment two months ago. We were waiting for the order,” he said.