The Allahabad High Court has upheld the right of Hindu prayers to continue in the cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque, dismissing a petition brought forth by the mosque committee. Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal affirmed the Varanasi district court’s decision permitting prayers in the “Vyas Tehkhana.”
Last month, the Varanasi district court ruled in favour of Shailendra Kumar Pathak, who sought permission to resume prayers in the southern cellar known as Vyas Tehkhana. Pathak, a hereditary pujari, cited his family’s historical association with the site, with his maternal grandfather, Somnath Vyas, offering prayers there until December 1993.
The dispute, in context of the mosque consisting four cellars in its basement, is regarding the cellar still owned by the Vyas family. The mosque committee disputed Pathak’s claims, asserting that no idols existed in the cellar prior to 1993.
The committee’s appeal to the Supreme Court was dismissed on February 2, prompting them to approach the Allahabad High Court. After a hearing on February 15, the High Court reserved its order.
In a related case, an Archaeological Survey of India or ASI report, commissioned by the district court, suggested that the mosque was built during Aurangzeb’s reign atop the remains of a Hindu temple.
