• Source:JND
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Worship began at 'Vyas Ka Tehkhana' inside Gyanvapi premises on Thursday morning, a day after Varanasi Court laid out an order in this regard. Security was beefed up in the area as authorities late night opened the cellar and created a barricaded way for the people to offer prayers. Varanasi DM S. Rajalingam and Commissioner Ashok Mutha were present at the Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath Dham area. DM said they were complying with the court’s order.

The court on Wednesday allowed the Hindu side to worship at Vyas’ Tehkhana, which is the southern cellar on the premises of Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi.

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Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing the Hindu side, said the court gave permission for puja and directed the district administration to make requisite arrangements in this regard

“District administration will make arrangements for Puja within seven days. Everyone will have the right to perform Puja,” he said while talking to media.

“Today right has been given to perform puja at 'Vyas Ka Tekhana' and the court has given the order to the District Officer for compliance of the order within a week,” another lawyer of the Hindu side said, Subhash Nandan Chaturvedi said. Chaturvedi said the petition in this regard was filed on behalf of Shailendra Kumar Vyas, the descendant of Vyas.

Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee's counsel Akhlaque Ahmad said that he would challenge the order in the higher court, reported HT.

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As per the Hindu side, Vyas’ family used to perform puja in the basement till 1993. However, it stopped following the order by the state government. The basement was cleaned during the archaeological survey last year after four Hindu women moved the Supreme Court seeking excavation and scientific survey of a sealed section of the mosque.