Varanasi court rejects petition to ban Namazis from basement roof, rejects repairs

Varanasi: In a significant ruling on Friday, the Varanasi court rejected a petition seeking a ban on the Namazis accessing the roof of the Vyas basement of Gyanvapi.

The court also declined to issue an order for repairs to the basement. Despite the decisions, worship activities in the Vyas basement will continue.

The ruling was delivered by Civil Judge Senior Division Hitesh Agarwal, on a petition from the Hindu side.

The Hindu petitioners had requested that access to the roof be restricted, citing concerns about the structural integrity of the building. They also sought repairs for the basement, arguing that the roof was weak and deteriorating due to the congregation of the Namazis. The Hindu side intends to appeal to the district court regarding the repair request.

Currently, Namaz is performed on the roof of the Vyas basement, while worship activities occur in the

basement below.

The petition was initially filed on December 16, 2023, on behalf of Nandiji Maharaj Virajman by Akanksha Tiwari of Kanpur, along with Deepak Prakash Shukla, Amit Kumar and Suvid Praveen from Lucknow, representing the Lucknow

Jan Udghosh Seva Sanstha.