A priest performed pooja and aarti in the 'Vyas Ji ka Tehkhana' in Varanasi's Gyanvapi mosque complex early on February 1st following the permission granted by the district court.
The district authorities held a meeting late night, ahead of the commencement of the pooja.
A passage was cleared to allow devotees access to the southern cellar where the rituals were conducted.
The district court on Wednesday ruled that a priest can perform prayers before the idols in a cellar of the Gyanvapi Masjid here, a significant development in the legal battle over the mosque adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath temple.
While the VHP welcomed the order, Muslim side counsel Mumtaz Ahmed said they will challenge it in the high court.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi said that the judgement was a violation of the Places of Worship Act.
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