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Synopsis

The Allahabad High Court today reserved the judgment in the plea moved by Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee, which manages the affairs of Gyanvapi, against the local court order allowing  'Pooja' in 'Vyas Tehkana' or the southern cellar of Gyanvapi complex.

The bench of Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal reserved orders after hearing at length the counsel for all the parties concerned. 

The Hindu side's argument is that the order allowing puja inside Tehkhana was 'not improper', as being alleged by the Muslim side. Their main argument is that the Hindu Puja in the southern cellar continued till 1993, and there was no bar that it could not be performed now. 

On the other hand, the Muslim side is challenging the order claiming bias on the part of the Varanasi Court judge who allowed Hindu priest to perform 'Pooja' in 'Vyas Tehkana'.

On February 2, the high court had denied the Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee's plea for an interim stay on 'Pooja' in 'Vyas Tehkana' or the southern cellar.

Shortly after the January 31 order of the Varanasi district court allowing Hindu devotees to worship in 'Vyas Tehkana', the pooja began. 

Challenging the local court's directions, the mosque management committee moved the Supreme Court, which redirected it to the Allahabad High Court. 

On January 31, the Varanasi District Court granted permission to priest Shailendra Kumar Pathak, who filed a plea seeking direction to allow him the right to worship Hindu deities in the cellar of the Gyanvapi.

Pathak had submitted before the District Court that his maternal grandfather, priest Somnath Vyas, conducted prayers in the Gyanvapicellar until 1993 when it was shut down by the Uttar Pradesh Government.

Allowing Pathak's plea, the District Court had ordered that the Kashi Vishwanath Trust, overseeing the Kashi Vishwanath temple, would facilitate prayers in the mosque cellar. The court had instructed the Varanasi district magistrate to arrange for the puja by Pathak within seven days.

Notably, in its report, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) stated that there existed a Hindu temple beneath the current structure of the mosque.