The News Freedom
Varanasi, January 31
A Varanasi district court on Wednesday ruled in favor of the Hindu side in a long-standing dispute over the Gyanvapi mosque complex, granting them the right to offer prayers in a designated cellar area known as “Vyas Ka Tehkhana.” The order comes in response to a petition filed by Shailendra Kumar Pathak Vyas, grandson of the late priest Somnath Vyas, who claimed his grandfather performed regular prayers in the cellar until its closure in 1993. The Vyas family also owns one of the four cellars in the Gyanvapi mosque basement.
Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing the Hindu side, confirmed the court’s decision, stating that “puja will start within seven days” and the district administration will be responsible for facilitating access within the designated timeframe.
The ruling is a significant development in the ongoing legal battle surrounding the Gyanvapi complex, a contested site where Hindus claim a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva once stood before being demolished by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in the 17th century. Muslims maintain the complex is a mosque and has been for centuries.