A district court in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh has directed that the keys to the “Vyas ji ka tehkhana” basement in the Gyanvapi complex be handed over to the district magistrate.
District Judge AK Vishwesh stated in his judgment on Wednesday that the basement of Vyas ji, located at the southern end of the complex, requires regular maintenance, as stated by Hindu side counsel Madan Mohan Yadav.
“Therefore, district magistrate of Varanasi is appointed receiver of Vyas ji’s basement,” the court said.
Yadav had previously stated that authorities had closed and locked the basement in 1993. Yadav said in his plea that Somnath Vyas, a priest, had previously utilized the basement for worship.
This comes two days after the Supreme Court allowed the cleaning of the ‘wazukhana’ inside the disputed Gyanvapi mosque where the ‘Shivling’ was found on May 16, 2022, during a court-mandated survey. The area of ‘wazukhana’ was sealed in 2022 on a Supreme Court order after the discovery of the Shivling.
On January 2, an application was filed in the Supreme Court by the Hindu petitioners seeking direction from the District Magistrate of Varanasi for cleaning the entire area of ‘wazukhana’ of Gyanvapi mosque where the Shivling was found and maintaining hygienic condition.
The application said fish in the water tank died between December 12 to 25, 2023, and due to the same, a putrid smell emitted from the tank.
It is further submitted that the Committee of Management Anjuman Intezamia Masjid which manages the mosque in the Gyanvapi complex is responsible for the condition of fish due to which they have died.