Gyanvapi case: Hindu prayers to continue in complex's cellar after Allahabad HC rejects Muslim side's plea

The Allahabad High Court on Monday (Feb 26) dismissed the Muslim side'splea challenging a court order permitting Hindu parties to continue offering prayers in the 'Vyas Tehkhana' (cellar) of the Gyanvapi mosque in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi. According to a report by LiveLaw, Justice Rohit Ranjan Agrawal pronounced the verdict 11 days after reserving judgment on the matter.

The appeal before the high court was filed by Anjuman Intezamia Mosque Committee on February 1. The committee, which manages the mosque complex, highlighted that the Vyas Tehkhana was under their possession as being a part of the mosque premises and that the Vyas family or anyone else did not have the right to worship inside the cellar, the report said.

The committee maintained it was an admitted fact that since 1993, there had been no Hindu prayers in the cellar, adding if the court was appointing a receiver and changing the status quo, there should have been some cogent reason behind the decision.

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Meanwhile, lawyers for the Hindu parties supported the Jan 31 order of the Varanasi district judge by stating that their first prayer (for the appointment of a receiver) was allowed on Jan 17.

However, the second prayer (for performing prayers inside the cellar) was not allowed. When the Hindu parties requested the district judge to allow the second prayer too, he allowed the same on Jan 31 by invoking powers under Section 152 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc), the report added.

Speaking to ANI, Advocate Prabhash Pandey said, "The judge dismissed the pleas that the Muslim side had filed against the District Judge's order...It means that the puja will continue as it is."

"District Magistrate will continue as the Receiver of the 'tehkhana'...This is a big victory for our Sanatana Dharma...They (the Muslim side) can go for a review of the decision. Puja will continue," he added.

Advocate Hari Shankar Jain, the counsel for the Hindu plaintiffs welcomed the court's decision by saying, "The right that Hindus have to perform puja has been maintained by the High Court. Hindus were performing puja in the Vyas Tehkhana until 1993, but they were stopped unlawfully. They (the Muslim side) can move Supreme Court, but we are also ready to oppose..."

"..Today, even the High Court accepted that puja and religious rituals used to take place there, and in 1993, without any document or order the religious rituals were stopped...So, the District Court's order was upheld today...The High Court ruled in our favour...The objection of Anjuman Intezamia's (Masjid Committee) has been dismissed by the High Court...," Advocate Subhash Nandan told the news agency.

The Gyanvapi case has been going on for more than three decades. Some believe that the Gyanvapi mosque was built on the remains of atemple, while various other petitions in courts, including the Supreme Court, have discussed different angles of the case.

(With inputs from agencies)