Hindus Get Right to Worship in Gyanvapi Mosque Basement, Puja to Begin Within 7 Days

Hindu side petitioners can perform puja in the ‘Vyas Tekhana’ — basement — portion of the Gyanvapi mosque premises, the Varanasi Court said on Wednesday.

The order was passed by judge A K Vishvesh, who directed the district magistrate to make arrangements within seven days, counsel Madan Mohan Yadav said, adding the prayers will be facilitated by the Kashi Vishwanath Trust. “There was no basis to stop the puja. The Temple Trust will now get the puja done here, we are very proud of this…This is the first step, if this verdict is opposed, we are ready to answer," he said.

Speaking exclusively to CNN-News18, Nagendra Pandey, Chairperson of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, said that the puja will begin in 2-3 days and once it starts, it will be performed daily. “We are aspiring to perform puja in the whole Gyanvapi temple. A door will built to protect the area where the puja will be performed," he said.

One of the advocates of the Hindu side, Vishnu Shankar Jain, called it a “turning point" and “historic verdict". Jain told News18 that they have sent the order copy to the District Magistrate for compliance.

PUJA WAS CONDUCTED TILL 1993: HINDU SIDE

According to the petition, priest Somnath Vyas used to perform prayers there till 1993 when the cellar was closed by the authorities. Shailendra Kumar Pathak, maternal grandson of Somnath Vyas, had sought the right to worship the deities there. He said the barricades before the Nandi statue in front of the ‘wazukhana’ — where ablutions are performed before offering namaz — in the mosque complex will be removed to make way for the petitioner to perform puja.

The Hindu side counsel said the puja of deities was stopped during the rule of chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav. Advocate Hari Shankar Jain told ANI: “Till 1993, Hindus had been performing prayers there for centuries… In 1993, Mulayam Singh’s government did the barricading and iron fencing, and stopped Hindus from performing prayers… The right to perform prayers has been restored…"

Ashutosh Vyas, a kin of the priest, said, “Their tapasya of 400 years has now borne fruit. Like the earlier times, we will start the mangal aarti, bhog and puja in seven days."

Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav called it a “milestone decision". “I want to congratulate the court…," he said.

CELLAR PART OF MOSQUE: MUSLIM SIDE

The Muslim side has argued that the cellar is part of the mosque complex, and hence permission to perform puja there should not be granted.

The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee has said that it will challenge the district court’s order in the Allahabad High Court. In opposition to this, Jain will be filing a caveat before the Allahabad HC that they should be heard first.

THE ASI SURVEY

The area of ‘wazukhana’ was sealed in 2022 following an apex court order after discovering what was said to be a ‘Shivling’.

The Varanasi district court, on July 21 last year, directed the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a “detailed scientific survey" — including excavations, wherever necessary — to determine if the mosque located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple was built upon a temple. In December, the ASI had submitted the survey report in a sealed cover on the Gyanvapi mosque complex in the district court. The ASI report, submitted to the court, reportedly concluded that “there existed a Hindu temple prior to the construction of the existing structure" at the Gyanvapi mosque complex.

Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, the lawyer representing the Hindu side while citing the 839-page ASI survey, said the Gyanvapi mosque – standing adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath temple – was built on the remains of a grand Hindu temple after it was demolished in the 17th century by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. He said remnants of the statues of Hindu gods have been found in two basements during the court-ordered survey.

The Supreme Court on January 16 allowed a plea moved by Hindu women plaintiffs to clean the water tank in the mosque located in an area that has been sealed. Last week, the cleaning work of the wazukhana was completed under the supervision of the district magistrate of Varanasi following orders of the Supreme Court.

A Varanasi court on January 24 ordered that the ASI report on the Gyanvapi case be made public and provided to both sides. The Hindu side on Monday filed an application in the Supreme Court seeking the de-sealing of ‘wazukhana’ area and another comprehensive survey by the ASI without harming the ‘Shivling.’ The Allahabad high court on Wednesday issued a notice to Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee and other opposition parties to reply to it.

With PTI Inputs