A Varanasi district court has granted permission to the Hindu side to conduct prayers at the 'Vyas Ka Tekhana' area within the Gyanvapi mosque complex. Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing the Hindu side, conveyed that the puja is scheduled to commence within seven days, and everyone will be afforded the right to participate. The mosque, which encompasses four 'tahkhanas' (cellars) in the basement, had one under the possession of the Vyas family. Vyas, a hereditary pujari, had petitioned to enter the tahkhana to resume puja.
Subsequently, the court order directed the District Administration to make necessary arrangements within the stipulated seven days. While Hindu side lawyer Advocate Subhash Nandan Chaturvedi expressed satisfaction over the court's decision, Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee's counsel Akhlaque Ahmad announced intentions to challenge the order in a higher court.
Simultaneously, the Allahabad High Court issued a notice to the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, which manages the Gyanvapi mosque. This followed a plea challenging a Varanasi court's refusal to instruct the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a survey of the 'wazu khana' area in the mosque complex. Rakhi Singh, one of the plaintiffs in the Shringar Gauri worshipping suit, filed the plea, emphasizing the necessity of surveying the 'wazu khana' to determine the religious character of the property.
The 'wazu khana' is the area where ablutions are performed before offering namaz. The district judge court had previously rejected Singh's application, citing a Supreme Court order from May 17, 2022, directing the protection of the area where a 'Shivling' was claimed to be found. This decision prompted the court to deny the ASI's survey of the area. The unfolding developments surrounding the Gyanvapi mosque continue to be a focal point of legal and religious discussions, with differing perspectives on the court's recent rulings.