Indore News: Bhojshala Row Deepens As High Court Seeks Replies
· Free Press Journal
Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday directed the state government and other respondents to file their replies to a public interest litigation claiming the existence of a medieval Jain temple and gurukul within the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Masjid complex in Dhar district.
The PIL seeks to grant the Jain community the right to worship at the Archaeological Survey of India-protected complex, whose ownership has been claimed by both Hindu and Muslim sides.
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Delhi-based social activist Salek Chand Jain has filed the petition at a time when separate cases are already pending before the High Court, contesting the religious nature of the complex, believed to date back to the 11th century.
The Hindu side, based on an ASI scientific survey report, claims the monument was originally an ancient temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, while the Muslim side maintains that it is a mosque.
During the hearing, respondents raised objections, stating that the case was not maintainable as a PIL.
A bench of Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Rajesh Kumar Gupta fixed April 2 as the next date of hearing and directed the respondents to submit their replies before then.
The petition claims the Bhojshala complex once housed a Jain temple and gurukul, and that under Articles 25, 26 and 29 of the Constitution, followers of Jainism have the right to worship at the site.
It also states that the idol at the complex, claimed by the Hindu community to be that of Vagdevi, is actually that of the Jain goddess Ambika, installed by King Bhoj of Dhar in 1034.
According to the petition, the statue, discovered by the British in 1875, is currently housed in a museum in London. It seeks efforts to bring the statue back to India and reinstall it at the Bhojshala complex.
The ASI, following High Court orders, conducted a scientific survey of the disputed site two years ago and submitted a detailed report.
The over 2,000-page report indicates that a massive structure dating back to the reign of the Parmar rulers of Dhar predated the mosque, and that the present structure was built using repurposed temple material.
The Parmars ruled over a vast territory in the Malwa region of present-day Madhya Pradesh for about 400 years from the 9th to the 13th centuries.
Following earlier disputes over the site, the ASI issued an order on April 7, 2003, allowing Hindus to worship at the complex on Tuesdays and Muslims to offer prayers on Fridays.
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