Hindu petitioners can worship inside the previously sealed basement of the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi, a city court ruled on Wednesday, allowing priests from the Kashi Vishwanath Temple to conduct prayers.
The judge also stated that arrangements, including the removal of barricades, should be completed within a week.
"Hindu side allowed to offer prayers... district administration will have to make arrangements in seven days. Everyone will have the right to pray there," Vishnu Shankar Jain, the lawyer for the four Hindu women petitioners in this case said.
This comes as the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), claimed that “there existed a Hindu temple before the construction of the existing mosque” at the site.
Hindu litigants have claimed that the mosque was built on the site of the original Kashi Vishwanath temple after its destruction in the 17th century during Mughal emperor Aurangeb’s reign.