Varanasi Court Deliberates on Gyanvapi Mosque Roof Dispute

A Varanasi court heard a plea from Hindu petitioners to stop Muslims from walking over the fragile roof of Vyasji's basement in the Gyanvapi mosque complex. The court scheduled the next hearing for August 17 to consider the matter further. Repairs have been requested due to structural concerns.

A Varanasi court briefly deliberated on a plea by Hindu petitioners seeking to prohibit Muslims from walking on the roof of Vyasji's basement in the Gyanvapi mosque complex. The court has scheduled the next hearing for August 17 to further address the matter.

Representatives from the Muslim side were present during the hearing and are expected to present their arguments on the upcoming date. According to Madan Mohan Yadav, the petitioners' counsel, an earlier court order has already allowed worship at the basement, with devotees now able to view the installed idols.

'The roof of Vyasji's basement is old and weak,' Yadav explained. 'Muslims walking on it poses a risk to the structure, and the Hindu side has thus requested that walking on the roof be prohibited and necessary repairs be undertaken.'

Yadav further noted that District Judge Sanjeev Pandey has taken into account these concerns and scheduled another hearing date. Previously, the court had facilitated Hindu worship rituals in the basement, following a report from the Archaeological Survey of India indicating the presence of a Hindu temple at the site prior to the mosque's construction.