Hindus Pray In Gyanvapi Cellar, 30 Years After Mulayam Yadav Sealed It

Members of a Hindu priests' family started praying at a cellar in the basement of Varanasi's Gyanvapi mosque after a district court yesterday ordered the administration to unseal the premises, 30 years after it was sealed on the orders of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, shortly after the Babri Masjid demolition.

"Hindu side allowed to offer prayers... district administration will have to make arrangements in seven days. Everyone will have the right to pray there," Vishnu Shankar Jain, lawyer for the Hindu side, told the media.

The area near the mosque, located right next to Kashi Vishwanath temple, witnessed frenetic activity late last night as Hindu devotees started reaching the mosque to pray in the cellar, named 'Vyas ka tehkana'. Members of a Hindu outfit, Rashtriya Hindu Dal, were seen pasting the 'mandir' (temple) word on a signage near the mosque. The puja started around 3 am today. Heavy force has been deployed to prevent any untoward incident.

The mosque has four cellars in its basement. One of them was in the possession of a family of priests that used to live there. Somnath Vyas, a member of Vyas family, offered prayers in the cellar before it was sealed in 1993, according to the petition by Shailendra Pathak, the petitioner and a member of the family. He had argued in court that as hereditary priests, they should be allowed to enter the structure and worship there. The court yesterday asked the district administration to ensure that prayers can be held inside the cellar within a week.

The mosque committee has said they would be challenging the court's order in Allahabad High Court. "This is happening to get political advantage. The same approach is being adopted, which was done in the Babri Masjid case," their counsel Merajuddin Siddiqui said.

Yesterday's order is being seen as a major development in the Gyanvapi case, in which Hindu petitioners have sought permission to pray in the mosque complex. The Archaeological Survey of India, which conducted a survey of the premises, has shared its report with the petitioners and the mosque committee. The report concluded that a large Hindu temple existed on the site before the mosque was built. Four Hindu women have now moved the Supreme Court, seeking the excavation and scientific survey of a section that had been sealed by a court order.

Leader of the Opposition Akhilesh Yadav has stressed that due process must be followed while implementing the court order. "The Varanasi Court fixed a 7-day period for it. What we are seeing now is a concerted effort to go beyond the due process and prevent any legal recourse that can be taken," he said.

The BJP has refrained from commenting on yesterday's development, saying the matter is subjudice. Hindu outfits such as the Vishva Hindu Parishad have welcomed the ruling. "Today, a court in Kashi has given a very important decision, filling the hearts of every Hindu with joy," VHP working president Alok Kumar said.