Today, the Allahabad High Court is set to deliver its verdict on a petition challenging the Varanasi district court’s decision to permit Hindu prayers in a cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque.
The controversy arose when the Varanasi district court, on January 31, ruled in favor of allowing a priest to offer prayers in the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque. The decision stemmed from a petition filed by Shailendra Kumar Pathak, requesting permission to resume pooja as a hereditary pujari, citing his family’s historical connection to the site.
The mosque’s complex contains four cellars, one of which is still under the ownership of the Vyas family. The court’s order followed the release of an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) report, which suggested that the mosque was built during Aurangzeb’s reign atop the remains of a Hindu temple.
However, the mosque committee contested the petitioner’s claims, asserting that no idols were ever present in the cellar, thus challenging the basis for prayers being offered there until 1993.
The committee swiftly approached the Allahabad High Court on February 2, following the Supreme Court’s refusal to entertain its plea against the Varanasi district court’s decision, directing it to seek recourse from the high court instead.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the Allahabad High Court reserved its verdict on February 15, with the judgment expected to provide clarity on this contentious issue.
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