NEW DELHI: Supreme court on Monday declined to stay the ongoing puja in southern celler of Gyanvapi mosque (Vyas Ji ka Tehkhana), which was permitted by a Varanasi court on January 31 and later upheld by Allahabad HC.
The top court also sought response of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple trustees on the plea of the mosque management committee.
Supreme Court bench observed, “bearing in mind the fact that the ‘namaz’ is offered in Gyanvapi mosque by the Muslim community unhindered after the orders dated January 17 and January 31, and the offering of ‘puja’ by Hindu priest is confined to the area of ‘Tehkhana’, it is appropriate to maintain status-quo to enable both the communities to offer worships in the above terms”.
Supreme Court was hearing the mosque committee’s petition challenging the Allahabad HC order allowing the performance of ‘puja’ in the ‘Vyas Tehkhana’ (in the southern cellar of the structure).
SC bench headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, after a nearly 2-hour long hearing said that Muslims can enter the mosque from the northern side for offering namaz while priests of Kashi Vishwanath temple trust would take southern entry to perform puja in the cellar.