Puja resumes at Gyanvapi Mosque's southern cellar after 31 years

• Historic puja performed at Gyanvapi mosque's southern cellar after a hiatus of 31 years
• Varanasi District judge grants permission following a court order, allowing Vyas family to resume prayers
• Gyanvapi Masjid Committee challenges the decision in the Allahabad High Court, while the Supreme Court directs them to approach the high court

In a historic turn of events, a puja was conducted at the 'Vyas Tehkana' or southern cellar of the Gyanvapi structure in Varanasi, marking the revival of a religious practice discontinued for 31 years. The prayers, initiated at 3 am, were allowed following a court order permitting the Vyas family to resume religious activities in the southern cellar, which had been halted since December 1993.

The Varanasi District judge, AK Vishvesha, granted permission for Shailendra Kumar Pathak Vyas and a Kashi Vishwanath trust-appointed priest to enter the premises for prayers.Varanasi Temple Trust president Nagendra Pandey highlighted the swift arrangements made by the district administration to comply with the court's orders, opening the southern cellar at 10:30 pm. However, the Gyanvapi Masjid Committee has moved the Allahabad High Court, challenging the Varanasi district court's decision to allow Hindu rituals in the 'Vyas Tehkana.'

Simultaneously, lawyers for the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee approached the Supreme Court, seeking an urgent hearing. The Muslim side expressed concern over the administration's haste, alleging collusion to preclude the Mosque Managing Committee from exploring legal remedies against the court's decision.