Muslim body moves Supreme Court amid Gyanvapi puja order; Here’s what next… 

The Gyanvapi mosque dispute has flared up again with the mosque committee moving the Supreme Court against a local court order permitting Hindu worship in the sealed basement area.

Here’s what Muslim body said on the Gyanvapi puja order

The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee urgently approached the apex court registrar on Wednesday night, seeking a reversal of the controversial Varanasi court ruling issued earlier that day.

As per the committee's legal team, the registrar advised they appeal to the Allahabad High Court instead. However, events on the ground overtook legal recourse.

The mosque committee's letter alleges the local administration swiftly moved to implement the order in the dead of night by deploying heavy police presence. It claims authorities began cutting grill gates to the sealed southern side, aiming to create a fait accompli before any legal challenge.

The Muslim side argues there was no need to execute the order in "hot haste" and darkness when a week was granted for arrangements. It accused the administration of colluding with Hindu petitioners to foreclose their legal remedies.

Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing the Hindu plaintiffs, stated they will file a caveat appeal in the Allahabad High Court regarding the Varanasi court's order permitting worship at 'Vyas ka Tekhana'.

Hindus allowed to worship in the Gyanvapi mosque

The sealed basement has become the latest flashpoint in the protracted Gyanvapi dispute. On January 31, Varanasi Additional District Judge SK Pandey directed authorities to make arrangements for Hindu prayers in the restricted zone within the mosque complex.

This follows a 2021 court order to seal the spot after a videography survey of the mosque found a shivling inside the wuzu khana as claimed by Hindu plaintiffs.

The Supreme Court later shifted the case to the Varanasi district court which has been hearing arguments regarding the survey's legitimacy and demands like carbon dating the shivling.

Overview of Gyanvapi Mosque row

Four Hindu women recently petitioned the SC seeking excavation inside the sealed Gyanvapi area. The plea came after an ASI survey reportedly revealed remnants of a Hindu temple predating the mosque.

The escalating tensions underline the sensitive nature of disputes surrounding mosques at Kashi and Mathura, which Hindu groups claim were built over demolished temples. With polls nearing, the row has sparked fears of communal flare-ups in Uttar Pradesh.