The Varanasi Court has granted permission to the Hindu side to offer prayers at 'Vyas Ka Tekhana', the previously sealed basement of the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi.

The district administration will have to make arrangements within seven days, the court said in its order today.

The case pertains to one Somnath Vyas' basement, where his family used to perform puja till 1993. However, following the state government's order, the worship was stopped in the basement.

The Varanasi district administration had on January 24 took possession of the southern cellar of Gyanvapi mosque complex. The administration was following the orders of the Varanasi District Court, which had on January 17, appointed district magistrate of Varanasi as the receiver of the southern cellar of the mosque in a case filed by head priest of Acharya Ved Vyas Peeth temple Shailendra Kumar Pathak. The plea of advocate Vijay Shankar Rastogi to become a party of Vyas's suit was rejected the same day by the court.