Indore: In a significant ruling in the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque dispute, the Madhya Pradesh High Court today announced disputed site as a temple. In its verdict, the High Court said that it is a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati. It also barred namaz offering inside the premises.
During the hearing, the High Court said that Muslims may seek alternative land for a Mosque. The bench comprising Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi set aside the previous order which allowed Muslims to offer prayers at the site.
What was the arrangement made by ASI in 2003?
According to the arrangement made by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in 2003, both Hindus and Muslims have continued to offer offer prayers on Tuesdays and Fridays. The Hindu side had moved the high court requesting for exclusive worship rights at the site.
“We have considered the archaeological and historical facts, ASI notifications and survey report. On the anvil of the statutory provisions of the ASI act as well as on the basis of the precedent laid down in the Ayodhya case, and considering the nature of archeological evidence, the court can safely rely on the conclusions of such multi disciplinary studies by the ASI and the fundamental rights under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution of India,” the court said in its order, according to Bar and Bench.
The ASI in its report said that that a massive structure dating back to Parmar kings was present at the site of the mosque. The report added that the disputed structure at the site was built using temple components. Hindu sites claimed that coins, sculptures, and inscriptions found the ASI survey proved that prove the complex was originally a temple.
The Muslim side, on the other hand, claimed that the ASIreport was “biased” and was done to support the claims of the Hindu petitioners. The ASI, however, refused the claim, and told the court the process was carried out with the help of experts, which also including three from the Muslim community.
