Allahabad HC declines interim stay on Hindu prayers at Gyanvapi

Allahabad: The Allahabad High Court on Friday declined to grant an interim stay on the Varanasi District Court’s decision permitting Hindus to offer prayers at the Gyanvapi Mosque.

Instead, the court has directed the Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee (AIMC), the body opposing the district court’s ruling, to revise its arguments.

Reports say that the Allahabad High Court has allotted time until February 6 for the AIMC to amend its plea. The committee had contested the district court’s verdict concerning the Gyanvapi Mosque. The court has instructed the AIMC to include a challenge to a previous order dated January 17, which ultimately led to the issuance of the January 31 order.

The next hearing in this matter will be scheduled once the AIMC completes this amendment.

This order was handed down by Justice Rohit Ranjan Agrawal during the hearing of an appeal filed by the committee responsible for managing the mosque’s affairs.

Following the Supreme Court’s refusal to entertain their plea against the Varanasi district court’s order, the panel promptly moved to the High Court. The ruling from the Varanasi court, issued last Wednesday, permitted a priest to conduct prayers before the idols in the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque.

The decision by the Allahabad High Court paves the way for further legal proceedings in the ongoing dispute surrounding the Gyanvapi Mosque. It highlights the intricate balance required to navigate religious rights and legal interpretations concerning matters of historical and cultural importance. All parties involved eagerly await the upcoming developments in this case as the legal battle continues to evolve.

Meanwhile, in a display of solidarity and protest, Muslim traders in Varanasi shut down their shops on Friday following an appeal from the AIMC.

This move came in response to the recent authorization of puja ceremonies in the southern cellar of the mosque, sanctioned by a district court ruling.

The AIMC, called upon Muslim traders to keep their shops closed for the day as a form of protest, urging them to offer namaz at the Gyanvapi mosque instead. As a result, Muslim-majority areas such as Nai Sadak, Nadesar, Ardali Bazar, and Dalmandi witnessed a deserted look as shops remained shuttered. Even in surrounding areas like Lohta, Kotwa, and Harpalpur, Muslim shops were closed in solidarity.

Maulana Abdul Batin Nomani, the Shahar-e-Mufti and General Secretary of AIMC, voiced the committee’s concerns over the hurried arrangements made by the district administration for the puja within the Gyanvapi Mosque’s premises.

He highlighted the decision made in a meeting of AIMC office bearers, clerics, and community leaders, emphasising the peaceful nature of the protest and the importance of engaging in prayers during this time.

Nomani emphasised the need for maintaining peace and urged Muslims to refrain from unnecessary movement. Notably, Muslims congregated at the Gyanvapi mosque for Jummah Namaz (Friday prayers), with women observing their prayers at home in solidarity with the protest.