Supreme Court refuses to stay order allowing Hindus to pray in sealed basement of Gyanvapi mosque

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay the Varanasi district court’s order allowing Hindus to offer prayers in the sealed basement of the Gyanvapi mosque complex, reported Bar and Bench.

On January 31, the Varanasi court allowed Hindus to offer prayers in the basement of the complex after an Archaeological Survey of India report claimed that a Hindu temple that existed at the site was destroyed in the 17th century and built over. The findings of the archaeological survey had been made public through the court on January 25.

Hours after the judgment, a group of Hindus, led by Varanasi District Magistrate S Rajalingam, prayed inside the mosque complex.

On Monday, a bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra was hearing an appeal filed by the Muslim parties in the case challenging the Allahabad High Court verdict that rejected the petition against the Varanasi court order.

The top court said that the status quo at the complex should be maintained to ensure that both communities are able to offer prayers.

The Gyanvapi mosque complex has four cellars in its basement. One of them is still owned by the Vyas family of priests who used to live there. They had argued that, as hereditary priests, they should be allowed to...

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