SC declines to restore namaz at Bhojshala

The Supreme Court agreed to hear the Bhojshala dispute in Dhar on a day-to-day basis to resolve the issue. However, the bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana declined the petitioners’ request for an interim order restoring the status quo ante, under which Muslims were permitted to offer namaz on Fridays alongside Hindu worship on designated days. The bench directed the state to make available a separate open space, adjacent to the subject site, for offering namaz on Fridays between 1 PM and 3 PM. The bench clarified that this arrangement is ad-hoc in nature, subject to the final outcome of the matter. The bench urged both sides to exercise patience, describing the matter as highly sensitive.
The top court was hearing a batch of appeals challenging a Madhya Pradesh High Court order, which said the disputed Bhojshala complex in Dhar district was a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati and prohibited the offering of Namaz there. 
"These are very sensitive matters. What is being said in court can unnecessarily create controversies or send wrong impression. We have to be very careful about every expression used. Our view is that whatever arrangement is presently in place, the matter can be listed before an appropriate bench within 10 to 15 days," the CJI observer orally.
On May 15, the Madhya Pradesh HC ruled that the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Dhar district is a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati. It simultaneously quashed a decades-old ASI order based on which the Muslim community had been offering Friday prayers at the mosque.