Gyanvapi Mosque: Varanasi Court Allows Hindus To Pray Inside Disputed Structure
A Varanasi court on Wednesday permitted Hindu worshippers to pray inside the Gyanvapi mosque.?The?Gyanvapi?mosque is one of several mosques that a section Hindus claim are built on the ruins of ancient temples.?
The court ruled that Hindu worshippers -- who believe the mosque replaced a destroyed temple to the deity Shiva -- could pray in the building's basement.
The order was given by district court judge A K Vishvesh.
According to the petition, priest Somnath Vyas used to perform prayers there till 1993 when the cellar was closed by the authorities.
Advocate Yadav said the district administration will make arrangements for performing puja and it will be facilitated by the Kashi Vishwanath Trust.
Shailendra Kumar Pathak, maternal grandson of Somnath Vyas, had sought the right to worship deities there.
Its verdict ordered district authorities to "make proper arrangements within the next seven days" to facilitate worshippers.?The decision is the latest in a long-running legal saga over?Gyanvapi's future.
Earlier this month, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) submitted a report mentioning that there was a temple in place of the disputed structure.?
With Agencies Inputs
