In a landmark decision, a city court in Varanasi has granted permission to Hindus to worship in the sealed basement of the Gyanvapi mosque complex. The judge has ordered the removal of barricades and instructed arrangements to be completed within a week for prayers to be conducted. This ruling is expected to be challenged by the mosque committee in a higher court. The court’s decision marks a significant development in the ongoing Gyanvapi case. Stay tuned for updates on the implementation of the order and further developments in the case.
In a recent development in the Gyanvapi case, a city court in Varanasi has ruled in favor of Hindu petitioners, granting them permission to worship inside the sealed basement of the Gyanvapi mosque complex. The judge has ordered the removal of barricades and has instructed that arrangements be completed within a week for prayers to be conducted by priests from the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
According to the lawyer representing the Hindu petitioners, everyone will have the right to pray in the basement, and it is the responsibility of the district administration to make the necessary arrangements. However, it is expected that the mosque committee will challenge this order in a higher court.
The basement of the mosque has four cellar areas, and one of them is still in the possession of a family of priests who used to live there. These priests argued for their right to enter and perform rituals as hereditary priests. One of the priests, Somnath Vyas, used to perform prayers in the basement until it was closed in 1993.
In the past, there have been claims about the presence of debris from Hindu statues and parts of a pre-existing structure, which was considered a temple according to an ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) report, in the area where the mosque was built.
Recently, four Hindu women approached the Supreme Court requesting excavation and a scientific survey of a shivling found inside the sealed area of the mosque complex. The area had been sealed in 2022 following a Supreme Court order, but the Hindu petitioners want the ASI to conduct another survey without damaging the shivling.
It’s worth noting that the Allahabad High Court has previously rejected all petitions by the mosque committee challenging civil suits seeking restoration of the temple at the site. The High Court also rejected petitions from the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board, arguing that a 1991 suit seeking control of the disputed premises was not maintainable under a law restricting alteration of religious places as they existed on Independence Day, 1947. The petitioners, on the other hand, argued that the pre-Independence nature of the dispute should exempt it from the law.
The court ruling allowing Hindus to worship in the basement of the mosque is seen as a significant decision in the Gyanvapi case and a victory for the Hindu side involved in the dispute. However, the implementation of the court’s order and any further developments in the case are yet to be revealed.