Fragments of "idols" found by ASI in a mound of debris within the Gyanvapi complex may have been dumped there by sculptors who once plied their trade from rented shops in a building there before it was demolished, mosque custodian Anjuman Intizamia Masajid (AIM) said on Friday.

The Muslim side's contention invited an immediate rejoinder from the Hindu plaintiffs' lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain, who said there was no basis for such an argument. He said ASI's scientific survey report on Gyanvapi specifies "the age, era, diameter and all relevant details of each idol and artefacts recovered from the debris inside the compound,"as reported by TOI.

The wrangling came a day after both sides were given a copy each of ASI's report, which purportedly states that a Hindu shrine existed at the site of the Gyanvapi mosque before it was constructed in the 17th century.

AIM said it would engage legal experts to study ASI's report. AIM lawyer Akhlaque Ahmad told TOI that the Hindu side's claim about a pre-existing temple wasn't based on any new finding.

"We haven't gone through the details, but there seems to be nothing new in the claim by the plaintiffs regarding the recovery of idols from the debris during the survey. We will make specific comments after studying the report. As of now, the claims are exactly the same as those mentioned in the court commissioner's survey in May 2022."

Ahmad said there was a "strong possibility" that the "five to six sculptors" to whom AIM had rented out shops at Chhattadwar dumped damaged idols and waste in the southern part of the mosque till it was covered with iron grilles in 1993. "It is possible that the ASI team recovered the same idols while removing debris during its survey."

Ahmad and AIM joint secretary SM Yaseen said a panel of lawyers would peruse the ASI report thoroughly on Saturday, based on which they would seek further legal opinion before deciding the way forward.