The Supreme Court has permitted Muslims to offer Friday prayers at a site adjacent to the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula complex in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, following a High Court ruling that declared the complex a temple. This decision allowed prayers to resume after a previous ASI order was quashed.
The Supreme Court has allowed the Muslim community to offer Friday prayers at a dargah adjacent to the disputed Bhojshala complex in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, between 1 pm and 3 pm. This directive comes after the Muslim side alleged non-compliance with a previous order for an alternative prayer site, and follows a Madhya Pradesh High Court ruling declaring the complex a temple.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear appeals challenging the Madhya Pradesh High Court's decision to designate the Bhojshala complex as a Goddess Saraswati temple, a ruling that also quashed Muslim prayer rights at the historic site.
Members of the Muslim community in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district said they would offer their first Friday namaz at home and wear black bands after the court setback in the Bhojshala case.
Over 1,500 police personnel have been deployed around the Bhojshala in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, ahead of the first Friday since the high court declared it a Vagdevi temple.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court referenced the Supreme Court's Ayodhya verdict principles while ruling on the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula mosque complex case, determining the site to be a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati.
Hindu groups organised a 'victory celebration' at the historic Bhojshala complex in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district after the ASI granted the community unrestricted access to the monument for worship.
Hundreds of Hindu devotees gathered at the Bhojshala complex in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, for a 'maha aarti' following a high court ruling declaring the site a temple. Members of the Muslim community protested peacefully by offering namaz at home wearing black bands.
The Supreme Court has directed that a separate open space be provided adjacent to the disputed Bhojshala site in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar for offering namaz on Fridays, pending the final resolution of the case. The court emphasised the sensitive nature of the matter and urged both Hindu and Muslim sides to exercise patience.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Monday submitted its scientific survey report of the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal-Maula mosque complex to the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh high court.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has declared the disputed Bhojshala complex in Dhar to be a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, suggesting the Muslim community seek land elsewhere for a mosque.
A fresh plea has been filed before the Supreme Court challenging a Madhya Pradesh High Court order, which said that the disputed Bhojshala complex in Dhar district was a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati.
Devotees entered the Bhojshala complex in Dhar district on Saturday to offer prayers after the Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh high court declared the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula complex a temple and granted the Hindu side the right to worship at the site.
A Hindu party has filed a caveat in the Supreme Court regarding the Bhojshala complex dispute, seeking a hearing before any orders are passed on appeals against the Madhya Pradesh High Court's decision.
Hindus will offer prayers from sunrise to sunset on Basant Panchami while Muslims to offer namaz from 1 pm to 3 pm on Friday.
Peace prevailed at the disputed 11th-century Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district on Friday as Hindus performed puja to mark Basant Panchami festival while Muslims offered namaaz within the same premises but at a different location.
The security has been stepped up in view of the Friday prayers to be offered by the Muslim community members at the site, a police official said.
Hindus offered prayers at the contentious Bhojshala/Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district on Tuesday, with a team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) continuing its court-mandated survey.
The ASI team, comprising more than a dozen members, reached the complex in the morning.
However, a division bench of Justices SA Dharmadhikari and Gajendra Singh made it clear the ASI won't be given any more time at the end of this 8-week period.
Agitated activists pelted stones at the police prompting the latter to fire teargas shells.
The Hindu Jagran Manch has threatened to force its way into the complex around noon, despite orders to the contrary.
The Dhar district administration has recommended that the Bhojshala-Kamal Moula mosque be kept open every Friday from 1300 to 1500 hours IST to enable Muslims to offer namaz and every Tuesday from 0900 and 1100 hours IST for Hindus to offer prayers.
