SC to hear on Tuesday Masjid Committee's plea against 'pooja' in Gyanvapi cellar

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Tuesday the plea filed by the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee against the Varanasi court's order allowing Hindu parties to offer prayers and pooja in the southern cellar or basement (tehkhana) of the Gyanvapi Mosque.

As per the causelist published on the website of the apex court, a bench presided over by CJI DY Chandrachud will take up the matter for hearing on July 23.

In April, the Bench, also comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, had refused to pass any interim order staying the decision of the Allahabad High Court upholding the January 31 district court order regarding the conduct of Hindu prayers in the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi Mosque.

The top court had said that it would be appropriate to maintain a status quo at the disputed site to allow both communities to offer religious worship.

"Bearing in mind the fact that the namaz is being offered unhindered by the Muslim community post the district court and High Court orders, and the offering of pooja and worship by a Hindu priest is in respect of the area of tehkhana, it would be appropriate to maintain status quo and allow both the communities to offer religious worship," it ordered, adding that status quo will not be disturbed except with the permission of the apex court.

Posting the matter for hearing in July for final disposal, the SC had ordered the respondent side to file a counter affidavit before April 30.

The Varanasi District Judge on January 31 directed the district administration to make appropriate arrangements for the Hindu side to conduct worshipping rituals inside one of the sealed cellars/basement/tehkhana (vyas ji ka tehkhana) inside the existing Gyanvapi mosque complex.

The Hindu side has said that pooja and religious prayers were earlier offered by the family of one Somnath Vyas in the mosque's cellar until 1993 when the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led government allegedly stopped it.

The Muslim side has opposed this claim and maintained that Muslims have always had possession over the mosque's building.