NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay the Hindu prayers in the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque and sought response of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple trustees on the plea of the mosque management committee.
However, a bench of the top court led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud also ordered maintaining of status quo on offering of namaz by Muslims in the Gyanvapi premises in Varanasi.
The top court also made it clear that the Muslims can continue to enter and offer their prayers at the mosque from the northern side, while the Hindus can enter from the southern entry for the puja.
"Bearing in mind that Namaaz is being offered unhindered and the offering of Puja by Hindu priests, it shall be appropriate to order status quo to offer worship in above terms," the top court said.
The court passed the interim order after hearing senior advocates Huzefa Ahmadi for the Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee.
The court was hearing a fresh plea of the Gyanvapi mosque management committee against an Allahabad High Court decision upholding a lower court's order allowing Hindu prayers in the southern cellar of the mosque.
A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud also sought response of priest Shailendra Kumar Pathak Vyas by April 30 on the plea of the mosque committee.
It is to be noted that the Allahabad high court had rejected the Gyanvapi mosque committee's plea challenging the Varanasi district court's January 31 order allowing Hindus to offer prayers in the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, prompting the mosque committee to knock the doors of the Apex court for relief.
The high court, while rejecting the mosque committee's plea, observed that the Uttar Pradesh government's 1993 decision of stopping worship rituals inside the "Vyas Tehkhana" -- located at the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi -- was "illegal".
Senior lawyer Huzefa Ahmadi, appearing for Mosque Committee, said that he is concerned about the fact that puja rituals are being performed within the mosque's cellar.
Questioning the move of conducting and allowing the puja to continue, he said it would end up stirring drastic events similar to the past.
"History has taught us what happened in Ayodhya. Not withstanding the undertaking by the highest authorities, the mosque was demolished. Ultimately I am in your lordship's hands. Please protect me from further actions," he argued before the top court.
(With inputs from PTI)
