On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to halt Hindu prayers in the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi. However, the apex court ordered the maintenance of the status quo concerning the religious practices by Hindus within the mosque premises.
The bench was quoted by the legal website LiveLaw as saying, “Considering that the Muslim community offers Namaz unhindered following the orders dated Jan 17 and Jan 31, and the offering of pooja by the Hindu priest is limited to the area of tehkhana, it is appropriate to maintain the status quo to allow both communities to offer worship in the above terms.” The bench further added, “The status quo as obtained from the above terms shall not be disturbed by either of the parties without obtaining the previous sanction and leave of this Court.”
The Supreme Court has scheduled the plea of the Gyanvapi mosque committee against the approval for Hindu puja in the mosque’s southern cellar for final disposal in July.
The Allahabad high court had dismissed the plea of the Gyanvapi mosque committee, which challenged the Varanasi district court’s January 31 order permitting Hindus to offer prayers in the cellar.
On February 26, while dismissing the mosque committee’s plea, the high court noted that the Uttar Pradesh government’s 1993 decision to stop worship rituals inside the “Vyas Tehkhana” – situated at the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi – was “illegal.”
