HC reserves order on plea against worship in Gyanvapi Mosque
What's the story
The Allahabad High Court on Thursday reserved its order for a plea challenging the Varanasi district court's decision to allow Hindu prayers in the cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque. The appeal was filed by the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid committee after the Hindu side conducted puja in the mosque's southern cellar—"Vyas Ka Tehkhana"—earlier this month. The committee's lawyer, SFA Naqvi, confirmed that Justice Rohit Ranjan Agrawal, heard the case and has reserved the order, NDTV reported.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Right-wing Hindu outfits assert that several mosques, including the Gyanvapi Mosque, were built by Muslim invaders by demolishing Hindu temples. After its formation, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fomented the matter during the 1980s and 1990s, highlighting it as a reclamation project for Hindus. However, some Hindu priests allegedly rejected those claims by right-wing organizations—especially over the Gyanvapi dispute—blaming them for inciting communal tensions.
Last month
Varanasi court allowed prayers in celler
On January 31, a Varanasi district court allowed the Hindu side to offer prayers in the southern cellar of Gyanvapi Mosque. The court instructed the receiver to arrange for the Hindu side to perform puja, with a pujari nominated by the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust. The decision prompted the mosque committee to file an appeal with the high court on February 2.
Petitioner claims
Ownership dispute over cellar in district court
The mosque complex has four "tehkhanas" in the basement, and the Vyas family claims possession of one of them. Somnath Vyas, a member of the family, prayed in the cellar before its sealing in 1993, as per Shailendra Pathak's petition. Pathak, a family member, argued in the district court that their hereditary priest status entitles them to access and worship within the structure.
Muslim side's statement
Basement in possession of mosque committee: Muslim side lawyer
The Anjuman Itezamia Masajid Committee's counsel, Akhlaque Ahmad, has, however, refuted the claims that the Vyas family had ownership of the cellar. He said, "The Vyas family never performed puja in the basement. No idol was there in the cellar. It is wrong to say that the people of Vyas family were in possession." "The basement is in the possession of the...masjid committee," he added.