&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "MP HC declares Bhojshala site a Saraswati temple, quashes ASI’s 2003 namaz order")
In a landmark ruling that could significantly alter the long-running Bhojshala-Kamal Maula dispute, the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday declared the disputed Bhojshala complex in Dhar a temple dedicated to Goddess Vagdevi Saraswati and struck down the 2003 arrangement of the Archaeological Survey of India allowing Muslims to offer namaz at the site.
Delivering the verdict, a division bench of Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi held that historical records, archaeological findings and literary references established the religious character of the complex as a Saraswati temple linked to Raja Bhoj, the Parmar ruler credited with turning Dhar into a major centre of Sanskrit learning.
“We have noted that the continuity of Hindu worship at the site has, over time, never been extinguished. We record finding that historical literature establishes the character of the disputed area as a centre of Sanskrit learning, along with literature and archaeological references indicate the existence of a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati,” the Bench ruled.
The court quashed the ASI’s 2003 order that had permitted members of the Muslim community to offer prayers at the Bhojshala complex while also restricting Hindu worship.
“2003 ASI order to the extent restricting the right of Hindus to worship within the Bhojshala complex and also the order permitting prayer by the Muslim community are quashed,” the court said.
Trending Stories
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How fast can the Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet really fly?
)
Did China ask its people 'not to respond to aliens'? Origin of bizarre claim on social media
)
MS Dhoni-CSK Fallout? Report claims failed stake sale talks triggered rift
)
Scientists reveal the SAFEST COUNTRY when catastrophe strikes the planet
)
Serial killer on the loose in South Korea's Jeju Island? Fourth body found in three days as more than a dozen people go missing
)
2/3rd of glacier detached, collapsed: ISRO satellite images reveal what triggered Nepal floods
)
Trump once again claims without him there would be ‘no Israel right now’
)
Foreign espionage attacks against German companies surge to 37%, Bitkom report reveals
)
Blake Lively wins partial legal fee from Justin Baldoni after $8M request
)
Why is Pakistan deploying Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones near India border?
)
'OH MY GOD! We've found other agents!': Investigators discover not one or two, almost 700 OpenAI AI agents went rogue, hacked Hugging Face
)
Lunar eclipse 2026: India timings, places to see and more. August Blood moon factsheet
)
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on global outreach tour
)
Both pilots killed as training aircraft crashes in Lucknow – What we know
)
16-year-old charged with preparing terror attack on kindergarten in Norway
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How the S-400 protects itself from enemy attacks
)
Nepal floods: Over 165 dead, 400 missing; US, India, China, World Bank mobilise aid
)
India's multi-layered watch: The new surveillance war
)
5 doomsday planes spotted in US skies hours after CIA director's secret trip to Russia
)
9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to finally face trial in 2028, nearly 27 years after horrific attacks
)
Islamabad hospital fire: What we know about one of the biggest facility that housed Imran Khan
)
Workers run for life while filming Nepal flash flood: Scary new visuals emerge from Rasuwa
)
Russian military planes enter South Korean air defence zone amid rising tensions with North Korea: What's happening
)
Ron Weasley Is Back! Rupert Grint set to return to Harry Potter universe on Broadway
)
400-year-old 'vampire' grave in Poland reveals non-existent genetic lineage
)
Dolly Parton, global icon and queen of country music, dies at 80
)
Nepal flash floods: Kailash Mansarovar yatra affected, close to 400 pilgrims out of contact
)
'If he is dead, they're putting on a pretty good show': Trump casts fresh doubt over Mojtaba Khamenei's fate
)
Man arrested near US Capitol with guillotine in pickup truck: What happened?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI cockpit is painted bright turquoise green
At the same time, the Bench said Muslims may approach the State government for allotment of alternative land for the construction of a mosque or a separate place for prayers in Dhar district.
“In order to secure the religious rights of the Muslim community and to ensure complete Justice between the parties, in case the respondent no. 8 (Muslim party) submits an application for allotment of suitable land within Dhar District for the construction of a mosque or place for prayer, the State government may consider the said application in accordance with law,” the judgment directed.
ASI to continue preservation work at Bhojshala
The High Court further clarified that the ASI would retain full supervisory authority over the preservation and conservation of the monument, which remains protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act.
The Bench also took note of pleas filed by Hindu petitioners seeking the return of an idol of Goddess Saraswati believed to be kept in a museum in London. The court observed that the government may consider any representation seeking the idol’s repatriation and possible installation inside the Bhojshala complex.
