BHOPAL — The Madhya Pradesh High Court declared on Friday that the dispted historical site in Bhojshala is a Hindu temple edicated to goddess Saraswati and as the property of King Bhoj.
The court also quashed an order passed by the Archaeological Survey of India(ASI) in 2003 to the extent that it restricted the rights of Hindu to worship within the complex and allowed the Muslim community to offer namaz there.
The court has ruled that henceforth only Hindu worship shall take place at the complex.
However, in order to secure the religious rights of the Muslim community, the Court allowed them to submit an application for the allotment of suitable land within Dhar district for the construction of a mosque. If such an application is made, the State may consider said application per the law, the Court stated.
The Central government and the ASI have been directed to take a decision for the administration and management of the Bhojshala temple and the Sanskrit learning within the property. The ASI will continue to have the overall administration of the property, reports LiveLaw.
Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing the Hindu front, stated that the court partially set aside the previous administrative orders to prioritise the historical and architectural findings of the recent scientific survey.
The court noted that the facts presented in the survey report were significant in establishing the original character of the site.
Furthermore, the court has directed the government to make formal efforts to repatriate the ancient idol of Goddess Saraswati currently housed in the British Museum in London. This statue was originally installed by King Bhoj of the Parmar dynasty between 1010 and 1055 AD when the site served as a renowned centre for learning.
In anticipation of this sensitive judgment, the state administration remained on high alert with 1,200 police personnel deployed specifically in Dhar town.
District Collector Rajeev Ranjan Meena and other senior officials monitored the situation closely, particularly since the verdict coincided with Friday prayers.
Authorities have maintained strict surveillance on social media to prevent the spread of inflammatory content and have appealed to the public to maintain peace and ignore unconfirmed rumours as the region transitions into this new legal reality. — With inputs from IANS
