Court allows Hindus to perform puja at Gyanvapi Masjid in Varanasi

VARANASI: A Varanasi district court has allowed Hindu side to perform puja in front of the southern cellar in Gyanvapi Masjid in Varanasi. The verdict is in the case related to 'Somnath Vyas' (Vyas ka tekhana) cellar inside Gyanvapi. Until 1993, the Vyas family conducted religious ceremonies in the basement, which was stopped after a directive from the state government. The Hindu side had approached the court seeking permission to perform puja in Somnath Vyas cellar.

At the same time, Hindu groups have demanded in the Supreme Court that the shivling they claim to have seen at the Gyanvapi Masjid in Varanasi be subjected to scientific survey. The Hindu side's request is to direct the ASI, or Archaeological Survey of India, to carry out another survey of the 'wazukhana' area without harming the 'shivling. The position of the mosque committee is that it is a water fountain. In the petition submitted to the Supreme Court, the Hindu parties pointed out that the masjid committee itself says that it is a fountain and that it is not religiously important to the Muslim community.

In May 2022, the Supreme Court had ordered to seal the area of the mosque premises where a shivling was said to be found. The ASI was also given permission on August 4, 2023 to carry out a scientific survey of the entire area of the church premises except this part. ASI has submitted the survey report in the Varanasi district court. Vishnu Shankar Jain, the lawyer for the Hindu parties, had revealed that the report of the ASI indicates that there was a temple in the area before.