ANCIENT DISPUTE UNCOVERED: BHOJSHALA-KAMAL MAULA SURVEY REPORT SUBMITTED
Category: Legal News
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In 2003, a controversy erupted, and the ASI issued an order allowing Hindus to worship on Tuesdays and Muslims to pray on Fridays. In March 2023, the Hindu Front for Justice filed a petition challenging this arrangement and seeking a scientific survey. The ASI conducted a survey from March 22 to July 15, 2023, and submitted its report to the High Court. The court will hear the case next on July 22, 2023.
Key Aspects
ASI Ordered to Submit Bhojshala Survey Report: On July 4, the High Court ordered the ASI to present by July 15 the complete report of the nearly three-month-long survey on the premises of the disputed 11th-century monument, the subject of a wrangle between Hindus and Muslims.The Hindu community considers Bhojshala as a temple of Vagdevi (Goddess Saraswati), while the Muslim side calls it Kamal Maula mosque.
HC Orders ASI Survey: The HC on March 11 ordered the ASI, the country’s premier agency for archaeological researches and protection of cultural heritage, to conduct a scientific survey of the complex on an application by ‘Hindu Front for Justice.
Apex court refused to stop survey: April 1, the top court had refused to pause a scientific survey of Bhojshala, an ASI-protected 11th-century monument, had said no action should be taken without its leave on the outcome of the impugned survey.
Hindu petitioner move to supreme court: Hindu petitioners have moved the Supreme Court requesting it to lift a pause granted on April 1 which restrained any action on the basis of an Archeological Survey of India (ASI) report on “Bhojshala”, a medieval-era structure in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district which both Hindus and Muslims claim as their own.
ASI Surveys Site: It then gave six weeks to the ASI to complete the survey. The ASI later sought more time for the report submission. The ASI began surveying the disputed complex on March 22 which ended recently.
Religious Access Dispute: The agency had issued an order on April 7, 2003, concerning access to the monument after a controversy erupted.As per the order, which has been in place for the last 21 years, Hindus are allowed to worship in the Bhojshala on Tuesdays, while Muslims are allowed to offer namaz at the place on Fridays. The Hindu Front for Justice has challenged this arrangement in its petition.
Conclusion
A centuries-old dispute between Hindus and Muslims over the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula complex may soon see a resolution, as the ASI’s survey report has been submitted to the High Court, which is set to hear the case on July 22, 2023.
