Dhar: Devotees from the Hindu community entered the Bhojshala complex in Dhar district on Saturday and offered prayers after the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court declared the disputed site a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati. The bench set aside a 2003 Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) arrangement that had allowed Friday namaz at the complex.
The May 15 judgment, delivered by Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi, relied heavily on a 2,000 plus-page ASI survey completed last year. The court found archaeological evidence that a large medieval structure from the Parmar period predated the present mosque and that the current building incorporated reused temple elements. The judges said these findings indicated the former presence of a Sanskrit teaching centre and a Saraswati shrine at the site.
Soon after the ruling, devotees gathered inside the premises to offer prayers under tight security. Authorities deployed about 1,200 police personnel and erected barricades around the complex. Dhar Collector Rajeev Ranjan Meena warned of strict action against the circulation of inflammatory content on social media.
The High Court quashed the ASI’s April 7, 2003 arrangement that allowed Hindus to worship at the complex on Tuesdays and Muslims to offer Friday prayers. The court noted that, if the Maulana Kamaluddin Welfare Society wished to build a mosque elsewhere in Dhar district, the state government could consider allocating alternative land.
The 242 page order also suggested the Union government “may consider” representations seeking the return of a Saraswati idol currently held by the British Museum and its reinstallation at Bhojshala.
Political and community reactions were sharply divided. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and BJP spokespersons welcomed the verdict. All India Majlis e Ittehadul Muslimeen leader Asaduddin Owaisi criticised the decision as “erroneous”, alleging the court overlooked historical records, the 1935 Dhar State Gazette, 1985 Waqf registration and the Places of Worship Act. Congress figures, including Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh, said the judgment would be examined and suggested the Supreme Court might ultimately determine the permissibility of worship at an ASI protected monument.
Muslim organisations, their legal representatives and the Jain petitioners have said they will challenge the High Court’s decision in the Supreme Court, arguing that key evidence and earlier records remain in dispute.