THE Allahabad High Court on Friday refused to allow the Gyanvapi Mosque committee’s plea seeking an interim stay on ‘puja’ being performed in the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi Mosque (known as Vyas Tehkhana). However, the Court has directed the State Government to maintain law and order situation in the area. Puja inside the Tehkhana began on 31st January, shortly after the Varanasi District Judge passed an order directing the District Magistrate to facilitate puja inside the area by making proper arrangements. The district magistrate complied with the order on the same day. On Thursday, an appeal was moved by the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee (which manages Gyanvapi mosque) challenging the order of the Varanasi District Court allowing Hindus to perform prayers in the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque (Vyas Ji ka Tehkhana). The committee also sought a stay on the worship rituals.

 

In its application, the mosque committee has contended thatthe administration was acting in ‘hot haste’ soonaftertheVaranasi Court’sordertoallowthepooja at night itself. The application further argues that these actions, occurring in themiddleofthenight,aimed to pre-empt any legal challenge by the mosque managingcommittee.Whilehearingthemattertoday, aBench of Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwalrefused to grant any interim relief to the Mosque Committee as it stressedthat ithadnotchallengedVaranasi District Judge’s January 17th order, wherein the district magistrate was appointed as a receiver. The Court has granted it time tillFebruary6to amend its appeal and till then, the Court directed the Advocate General to maintain law and order situation in the area. This development comes two days after the Supreme Courtrefusedtourgentlyhear theMosqueCommittee’splea against the order allowing pujaTehkhana,locatedatthe southern cellar of the Mosque. TheVaranasiDistrictJudge on January 31 directed the district administration to make appropriate arrangements within 7 days for Hindus to conduct worshipping rituals inside one of the sealedcellars/basement/tehk hana (vyas ji ka tehkhana) inside the existing Gyanvapi mosque complex. Worship at this spot was stopped in the year 1993.

 

LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE OFFERFRIDAY NAMAZ AT GYANVAPI MOSQUE AMID BANDH: A LARGE numberofpeopleofferedthe FridaynamazattheGyanvapi Masjid here asabandh was observedinthecity’sMuslimdominated areas, two days after a district court order allowed Hindu prayers inthe cellar of the mosque. The namaz was offered peacefully amid tight security arrangements. People gathered in large numbers, forcing the police to turn back some of them. Some were diverted to other mosques for the namaz. Some eyewitnesses said a crowd double the number that gathers usually for the namaz on Friday had come to Gyanvapi mosque, located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple. Shops inthecity’s Muslimdominated areas remained closedforthedayanda security alert wasmaintainedfollowingthedistrictcourtorder to allow Hindu prayers in a cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque. Tight security arrangements were in place around the mosque complex.