Prayers Held at Gyanvapi Mosque After Varanasi Court Order, Signboard Vandalised

Prayers were offered by a Hindu priest in the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque late on Wednesday, 31 January, just hours after a Varanasi district court's order.

The legal order essentially allowed the Hindu devotees to worship inside the sealed basement or 'Vyas Ka Tekhana' of the Gyanvapi mosque.

However, the district court had directed the district administration to make the necessary arrangements for prayers to be offered in the next seven days.

"Compliance with the court order was ensured on Wednesday night when a priest arranged by the Kashi Vishwanath temple trust performed the Shayan Arti of the deities inside the southern cellar. A gate was also installed after cutting steel grills near the southern cellar doors," District Magistrate S Rajalingam was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

Meanwhile, members of the Rashtriya Hindu Dal were seen vandalising signboards late on Wednesday night. Purported visuals showed the workers pasting 'mandir' and 'temple' stickers on the Gyanvapi mosque board.

"Due process has to be maintained while following any 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," Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav posted on X (formerly Twitter).

'Everybody Will Have Right To Perform Puja': Hindu Side's Advocate

While speaking to reporters, advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing the Hindu side, said, "Hindu side allowed to offer prayers at 'Vyas Ka Tekhana'. The District Administration will have to make arrangements within seven days. Everyone will now have the right to perform puja".

"I see Varanasi court's recent order as historic as the order given by Justice Krishna Mohan Pandey in 1983, who ordered the opening of locks of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya," advocate Vishnu Jain said.

KM Pandey, a Gorakhpur resident, was the first judge on whose orders the lock of the Ram Mandir was opened for worship. 

Meanwhile, lawyers representing the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee had moved the Supreme Court challenging the Varanasi district court's order.

However, the Supreme Court on Thursday, 1 February, has asked the Committee to approach the Allahabad High Court, according to a report by news agency PTI.

In their petition, the Gyanvapi Masjid committee lawyers reportedly argued that the district administration was in "hot haste" to cut grills located at the southern side of the mosque and had beefed up security at the site after the Varanasi court's order.