The Allahabad High Court on Friday refused to entertain the Gyanvapi Mosque committee’s plea seeking an interim stay on puja being performed in the southern cellar of Gyanvapi Mosque, Vyas Tehkhana. The court has directed the state government to maintain law and order situation in the area.
A bench of Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal refused to grant any interim relief to the Mosque Committee as it maintained that it had not challenged Varanasi District Judge’s January 17th order, which appointed the District Magistrate as the receiver.
After the Varanasi District Judge passed an order on January 31, directing the District Magistrate to facilitate puja inside the area by making proper arrangements, puja commenced inside the Tehkhana on the same day.
Subsequently, an appeal was moved by the Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee challenging the order of Varanasi District Court allowing Hindus to perform prayers in the southern cellar of Gyanvapi mosque. Furthermore, the committee sought a stay on the worship rituals.
The Allahabad High Court has granted time to the committee till February 6 to amend its appeal. Till then, the court ordered the Advocate General to maintain law and order situation in the area.
The development follows two days after the Supreme Court refused to urgently hear the Mosque Committee’s plea against the order allowing puja in Tehkhana, situated in the southern cellar of the Mosque.
Earlier on January 31, the Varanasi District Judge directed the District Administration to make appropriate arrangements within 7 days for Hindus to conduct worshipping rituals inside one of the sealed cellars, basement, tehkhana inside the existing Gyanvapi mosque complex. Notably, the worship was stopped at the aforesaid place in 1993.
The case relates to Somnath Vyas tehkhana inside Gyanvapi Mosque premises. Until 1993, the Vyas family carried out religious ceremonies in the basement. Nonetheless, in compliance with a directive from the state government, the religious practices were discontinued.