Representational.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court’s recent ruling declaring the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Dhar as a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati has once again brought national attention to the growing number of legal disputes over the religious character of historical places of worship in India. The court also struck down an old Archaeological Survey of India order that had allowed only Muslims to offer Friday prayers at the site while limiting Hindu worship within the complex.
The Bhojshala case now joins a series of high-profile religious disputes, including Ayodhya, Mathura and Varanasi, where Hindu groups have claimed that mosques were built over demolished temples during the Mughal era. Central to many of these cases is the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which freezes the religious status of places of worship as they existed on August 15, 1947. More than six petitions challenging provisions of the law are currently pending before the Supreme Court.
In Mathura, multiple suits are pending over the Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah dispute, where Hindu litigants seek restoration of temple land allegedly occupied during Aurangzeb’s reign. In Varanasi, the Gyanvapi mosque dispute intensified after a court-ordered survey reportedly found a structure claimed by Hindus to be a “shivling”, though the Muslim side says it is part of a fountain system.
The Sambhal Shahi Jama Masjid dispute in Uttar Pradesh turned violent during a mosque survey in 2024, leaving four people dead and many injured. Similar legal battles have also emerged over Delhi’s Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, Karnataka’s Idgah Maidan in Hubballi, and the Malali mosque in Dakshina Kannada, where Hindu groups have sought surveys or restoration claims linked to alleged temple structures beneath or within mosque complexes.
Together, these disputes have intensified debates over history, religion, constitutional protections and communal tensions across India.
Based on PTI report