New Delhi, March 31 (IANS) The Supreme Court is set to hear a plea on Monday filed by the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee against the decision of the Allahabad High Court supporting a Varanasi court’s ruling permitting Hindu prayers in the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi Mosque. The bench led by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud will hear the special leave petition on April 1, as per the causelist on the apex court’s website.
The Allahabad High Court rejected the Muslim side’s appeal on February 26 against the district court’s order allowing Hindu prayers in the Gyanvapi Mosque’s southern cellar. Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal delivered the decision amidst a civil court case over disputed claims regarding the religious nature of the Gyanvapi compound.
Hindu parties argued that prayers were previously offered in the cellar by the family of Somnath Vyas until 1993, when the government allegedly intervened. The Muslim side countered this, asserting historical possession of the mosque.
The core conflict revolves around the Hindu assertion that a part of an ancient temple on the site was destroyed during Aurangzeb’s reign, while the Muslim side contends that the mosque predates the emperor’s rule and has undergone modifications over time.
After the Varanasi district court’s ruling on January 31 allowing priests to conduct prayers in the southern cellar, religious ceremonies took place on February 1 at midnight. The cellar was subsequently opened to devotees, following directions from the district judge for suitable arrangements for worship rituals inside the sealed cellars within the Gyanvapi complex.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also visited the Gyanvapi premises on February 13 and worshiped at ‘Vyas ji ka tekhana’. The unfolding events have escalated tensions over conflicting claims to the religious site, culminating in a legal battle to be deliberated by the Supreme Court in the upcoming hearing.
