Bhopal/Dhar, May 15 (IANS) Congress MLA Arif Masood on Friday described the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s judgment on the Bhojshala complex as “one-sided”, contending that the court judgment relied solely on the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)’s report and did not take into account other material facts and objections raised by the Muslim side.
Masood said the court’s decision was based entirely on the ASI’s findings, which he alleged were prepared without full involvement of all petitioners during the survey process.
Because the judgment hinged on that single report, the Congress legislator said, it failed to present a balanced assessment of the centuries-old religious dispute.
“Today’s verdict is based on the report submitted by the Archaeological Survey of India. We will now study this verdict; we do not agree with this decision, and we intend to challenge it in the Supreme Court,” Masood noted while talking to media persons in Bhopal.
He said that the Kamal Maula Mosque is centuries old and predates India’s independence.
“A dispute arose involving two committees, and the matter eventually reached the courts — progressing from the lower court to the High Court, and ultimately to the Supreme Court. Subsequently, the case was referred back to the state of Madhya Pradesh. The order for the survey by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) was issued at that stage,” he noted.
Questioning the credibility of the ASI report, Masood added, “The report submitted by the Archaeological Survey of India is flawed. During the course of the survey, the petitioners had informed the court that they were not fully involved or consulted in the process.”
The Congress legislator also said, “I would request the state government not to allow anyone to take over the premises at this juncture. Meanwhile, I appeal to the public to maintain peace and tranquillity.”
It also held that the Muslim community could approach the state government for allotment of separate land in the district for construction of a mosque.
On the other side, Madhya Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Hemant Khandelwal welcomed the court judgment, saying, “The Bhojshala of Dhar — our identity, a center of faith, and the pride of our culture. Glory be to the eternal Sanatan Dharma.”
Several other BJP leaders, including former Chief Minister Uma Bharti and MLA Rameshwar Sharma, termed the court judgment a “historic win for Sanatan”.
Hindu side petitioner Ashish Goyal said, “The Hindu community had been struggling for 700 years for the liberation of Maa Saraswati Temple Bhojshala and the restoration of its glory. After the 2003 movement, restrictions on entry to Bhojshala were removed, but the site was still not fully handed over to the Hindus.”
The Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday declared the ASI-protected monument in Dhar district as a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati.
The court set aside the ASI’s 2003 order that denied Hindus the right to worship and granted Muslims the right to offer namaz.
–IANS
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