Tag: Gyanvapi Mosque complex

Puja Performed Inside Gyanvapi Mosque Complex

Puja Performed Inside Gyanvapi Mosque Complex

By LokMarg

After the Varanasi Court allowed the Hindu devotees to worship inside the Gyanvapi mosque complex, the barricades of Vyas Ka Tehkhana (basement) of the mosque were opened, and daily arti and puja were performed early in the morning on Thursday.

According to Vishnu Shankar Jain, the Hindu side lawyer Mangla Arti was performed at 3:30 in the morning and bhog was done at 12 pm.

“Timings for Aarti at Vyas cellar. Daily 5 aarti –Mangla- 3:30 am, Bhog- 12 pm, Apranh- 4 pm, Sanykaal- 7 pm, Shayan- 10:30 pm. 2 done so far,” Jain said in a post on X.

The court had asked the district administration to make the necessary arrangements within the next seven days.

Meanwhile, Jitendra Nath Vyas a member of the Vyas family who has been allowed to offer prayers inside the mosque located adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi said he was very happy to pray at the Tehkhana again.

“We are very happy that we have got the permission to resume puja there,” he said.

This comes as Varanasi court on Wednesday allowed Hindu devotees to offer prayers inside the ‘Vyas Ka Tekhana’ area inside the Gyanvapi mosque complex. The Vyas family member said that he along with priests performed puja in the basement in the presence of district officials.

“At the time of the puja, five priests of the (Kashi Vishwanath) temple trust, members of the Vyas family, Varanasi DM and Commissioner were present there,” he told ANI.

The developments come at a time when the Muslim side led by the Anjum Intejamia committee approached the Allahabad High Court to challenge the Varanasi Court’s decision. The Hindu side has filed a caveat before the High court demanding that it be heard before the plea is taken up.

Muslim side lawyer Akhlaq Ahmed said, “The order has overlooked the Advocate Commissioner report of 2022, ASI’s report, and the decision of 1937, which was in our favour. The Hindu side has not placed any evidence that prayers were held before 1993. There is no such idol in the place.”

The mosque has four ‘tahkhanas’ (cellars) in the basement, of which one is still in the possession of the Vyas family, who used to live there. Vyas had petitioned that, as a hereditary pujari, he be allowed to enter the tahkhana and resume pooja. (ANI)

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Chanpreet Singh

Varanasi Court Grants ASI One-Week Extension For Gyanvapi Report Submission

By LokMarg

The Varanasi district court on Monday granted one more week to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to submit a scientific survey report of the Gyanvapi mosque complex.

This comes after ASI asked for one week’s time to file the survey report. The court fixed December 18 as the next date of hearing in the matter.

On the previous date, the court had given the ASI 10 days’ time on November 30 and ordered it to file the report within the “provided time.”

The Court had earlier asked it to submit its survey report by November 17. Later, ASI was granted time until November 28 to file its report.

The survey has been held for 100 days, during which the ASI has asked for several extensions. The survey had concluded almost a month ago and the ASI had sought extra time to file its report.

The last extension was on November 18, when the ASI asked for another 15 days. The court had allowed it 10 days. The ASI had been conducting the survey since August 4 on the mosque premises. It leaves out the Wuzukhana area, which has been sealed by the orders of the Supreme Court.

On November 2, the ASI told the court it had “completed” the survey but would need some more time to compile the report, along with the details of the equipment used in the survey.

The court had granted additional time till November 17 for submitting the document. The survey was ordered by a Varanasi court on July 21, following a petition by four women who sought permission to pray at the Shringar Gauri Shrine which is behind the western wall of the temple.

Earlier, in August this year, the Allahabad High Court allowed the Archaeological Survey of India to conduct a survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi. (ANI)

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Gyanvapi Case: Varanasi Court To Pronounce Verdict Today, Sec 144 Imposed

By LokMarg

Varanasi district court will pronounce the verdict in the Shringar Gauri-Gyanvapi case on Monday.

District Judge AK Vishvesh had last month reserved the order till September 12 in the matter.
The decision relates to the maintainability of Hindu women’s plea seeking permission to worship Hindu deities in the Gyanvapi Mosque complex.

Security has been tightened and prohibitory orders (Section 144) have been imposed in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi on Sunday a day ahead of the district court order.

The police have deployed forces in areas where a mixed population resides in the city and patrolling is ongoing to ensure no law and order situation arises on the maintainability of a plea by five Hindu women seeking permission to worship the Shringar Gauri Sthal within the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi Masjid complex.

“A Varanasi court may pronounce judgment on a crucial matter. Section 144 was implemented in the city. Police force posted in areas where the mixed population resides. Patrolling is on. We are trying our best that no law and order situation arises,” said Police Commissioner, A Satish Ganesh.

The petition was filed by five Hindu women seeking permission to worship the Shringar Gauri Sthal within the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi Masjid complex.

Following this, a local Varanasi court ordered a videography survey of the complex in May. The survey work was completed on May 16 and the report was presented in the court on May 19.

After the videography survey claims were made by the Hindu side that a structure, resembling a Shivling was found in the mosque complex. The Masjid committee contested that it was a fountain and not a Shivling.

The Supreme Court on May 20 transferred the case from a civil judge (senior division) to a district judge, saying considering the “complexities and sensitivity” of the issue, it is better if a senior judicial officer having an experience of over 25-30 years handles this case.

The bench also said that no manner of restriction should be imposed on Muslims entering the mosque to offer namaz or religious observances.

It had ordered that its interim order passed on May 17 — to protect the area where the Shivling was found and access to Muslims for namaz — shall continue in operation till maintainability of the suit is decided and thereafter for eight weeks to enable parties to pursue legal remedies.

It had said that District Judge should decide the maintainability of the civil suit in the Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath on priority as sought by Committee of Management Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Varanasi.

The matter had reached the Supreme Court on a petition filed by the Mosque Management Committee, which challenged the civil judge’s orders.

The order permitted inspection, survey, and videography of the mosque’s complex to collect evidence about the alleged existence of idols of Hindu deities inside the mosque, which is adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

They filed an application for the protection of the shivling, whereupon the civil judge directed the district magistrate, Varanasi, to seal the area where the shivling was sighted. It also directed the deployment of the CRPF to protect the sealed area and prohibited people from entering it. (ANI)