HC declares Dhar Bhojshala Kamal Maula mosque complex as temple

The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday declared that the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Dhar district is a temple. A Bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi quashed the order passed by Archeological Survey of India (ASI) in 2003 by which Muslims had been granted permission to hold prayers at the site. "2003 ASI order to the extent restricting the right of Hindus to worship within the Bhojshala complex and also the order permitting prayer by Muslim community are quashed," the Court ruled. Muslims may apply to the State for alternative site for construction of mosque, the Court said.Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain says, "Today, after the Ram Mandir verdict, a very historic decision has been made by the judiciary of this country. The temple of Maa Saraswati and Maa Vagdevi, located in Dhar Bhojshala, was the subject of a case brought before the court. In 2022, the matter was filed in the Indore High Court, seeking a declaration that the entire Bhojshala complex is a Hindu temple site."

Indore, Madhya Pradesh: On the Dhar-Bhojshala case, Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain says, "Today, after the Ram Mandir verdict, a very historic decision has been made by the judiciary of this country. The temple of Maa Saraswati and Maa Vagdevi, located in Dhar Bhojshala, was the… pic.twitter.com/0jVk6Fqi8n

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The Court underscored said that the religious character of the structure is of a temple. "Historical literature and archeological references established the site as a centre of Sanskrit learning with the existence of a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati", it said.The Court passed the verdict on a batch of petitions which sought to reclaim the Bhojshala complex for Hindus and to prohibit Muslims from offering namaaz in its premises. The Government of India and the ASI were directed to decide on the administration and management of the affairs of temple.