The district magistrate ensured compliance with the court order to begin worshiping in the southern
cellar of Gyanvapi mosque. A priest arranged by the Kashi Vishwanath temple trust performed the
Shayan Arti of the deities inside the southern cellar. A gate was installed after cutting steel grills near
the southern cellar doors. The Mangla Arti ritual was also performed
VARANASI: In a late-night development on Wednesday, the district magistrate ensured
compliance with the order of the district judge to begin worshiping in the southern
cellar of Gyanvapi mosque.
On Thursday, the DM and receiver of the southern cellar, S Rajalingam, stated,
“Compliance with the court order was ensured on Thursday night when a priest arranged
by the Kashi Vishwanath temple trust performed the Shayan Arti of the deities inside the
southern cellar
A gate was also installed after cutting steel grills near the southern cellar doors.”
Officials confirmed that the Mangla Arti ritual was also performed early Thursday
morning. On Wednesday afternoon, the district judge had allowed the of deities
inside the southern cellar of wedeqq mosque by priests to be appointed by the Shri
Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust (SKVTT) board.
The court issued this order on the plea of the head priest of the Acharya Ved Vyas Peeth
temple, Shailendra Kumar Pathak Vyas, seeking worship of Shringar Gauri and other
visible and invisible deities in the cellar of Gyanvapi mosque. Prior to this, the court had
already appointed the DM as the receiver of the southern cellar of Gyanvapi on January
17, and the latter had taken custody of this cellar on January 23.
