New Delhi: On January 31, the Varanasi district court granted permission for a priest to conduct prayers in the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque. The ruling stemmed from a petition filed by Shailendra Kumar Pathak, descendant of a family that historically conducted prayers in the mosque until December 1993.Petitioners requestShailendra Kumar Pathak, representing his maternal grandfather Somnath Vyas legacy as a hereditary pujari, sought authorization to resume prayers in the cellar where his family traditionally worshipped. The mosque comprises four cellars, one of which remains under the ownership of the Vyas family.ASI report and controversyThe Varanasi district courts decision followed the release of an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) report on the mosque complex. Commissioned by the court, the ASIs findings suggested that the mosque was built during Aurangzebs reign atop the remains of a Hindu temple.Mosque committees responseThe mosque committee contested the petitioners claims, stating that no idols were present in the cellar, thereby refuting the notion of prayers being conducted there until 1993. Following the Supreme Courts dismissal of their plea against the district courts order, the mosque committee appealed to the Allahabad High Court on February 2.High Court proceedingsAfter hearing arguments from both parties on February 15, the Allahabad High Court reserved its judgment. Todays anticipated verdict holds significant implications for the ongoing dispute over religious practices at the Gyanvapi mosque.
