Bhojshala case: Hindu side files caveat in SC, Muslim side to challenge HC order

Bhopal/Dhar: Following the landmark ruling by the Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court regarding the Bhojshala complex in Dhar, the Hindu side has moved swiftly to secure its legal standing.

On Friday, a caveat petition was filed in the Supreme Court of India by Jitendra Singh Vishen through his counsel, Advocate Barun Kumar Sinha.

The petition formally requests that the apex court refrain from passing any ex parte orders on potential appeals against the High Court’s verdict without first granting a hearing to the Hindu side.

This proactive legal step ensures that the Hindu petitioners are notified and heard before the Supreme Court considers any stay or interim order.

In contrast, the Muslim side has expressed its intent to challenge the ruling.

Dhar City Qazi Wakar Sadiq stated that they would carefully review the Archaeological Survey of India report before approaching the Supreme Court.

He noted that several objections raised during the survey process would form the basis of their legal challenge, arguing that judicial precedents suggest an archaeological report should not be the sole basis for a final verdict.

The High Court’s Friday verdict has been received as a historic victory for the Hindu community.

The court declared the eleventh-century monument to be a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati and placed its administration under the discretion of the Central Government and the Archaeological Survey of India.

Crucially, the bench set aside the April 7, 2003, administrative order that had allowed the Muslim community to offer Friday prayers at the site.

The court suggested that the Muslim side, which identifies the structure as the Kamal Maula Mosque, could approach the state government for a separate allotment of land in Dhar for the mosque’s construction.

The news triggered widespread celebrations across Dhar.

Members of the Bhoj Utsav Samiti and thousands of devotees gathered at the “Akhand Jyoti Temple”, where the atmosphere was filled with religious chants and the distribution of sweets.

Women gathered in large numbers to perform special prayers and light lamps as a gesture of gratitude to Goddess Vagdevi.

For many, the verdict represents the culmination of decades of patience and struggle to restore what they believe is the site’s original glory.

IANS