The Supreme Court declined to stop Hindu prayers at Vyas Tehkhana within the Gyanvapi Mosque complex in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Nevertheless, the court instructed to maintain the current situation regarding religious practices by Hindus within the mosque premises.

However, the bench specified that Muslims could freely enter the mosque from the northern side to offer namaz, while priests affiliated with the Kashi Vishwanath temple trust would use the southern entry to conduct puja in the cellar.

The Supreme Court declined to halt the Allahabad High Court's decision, which had upheld the Varanasi district court's ruling permitting Hindus to conduct prayers for deities inside the 'Vyas Tehkhana', the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque.

The bench of the Supreme Court stated that considering the uninterrupted offering of namaz by the Muslim community in the Gyanvapi mosque following the orders of January 17 and January 31 (permitting puja inside Tehkhana), and the limited area of Tehkhana where Hindu priests conduct puja, it is suitable to maintain the current situation to allow both communities to worship as specified above.

The Supreme Court has scheduled the plea filed by the Gyanvapi mosque committee against the permission for Hindu puja in the southern cellar of the mosque for final disposal in July.

You might also be interested in – Allahabad HC rejects Muslim party’s plea to stop Hindu prayers in Gyanvapi, know why