The Kamal Maula Mosque committee on Thursday, May 21, approached the Supreme Court challenging the Madhya Pradesh High Court order that declared the disputed Bhojshala complex a temple and barred Friday prayers at the area.
The mosque’s caretaker, Qazi Moinuddin, also one of the intervenors in the case, filed the petition. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board and the Intazamiya Committee Kamal Maula Masjid were among those contesting the High Court judgment.
The petitioner argued that the ruling violates the Places of Worship Act, 1991, and was contradictory to the archaeological evidence. However, the Hindu community, expecting an appeal against the verdict, had filed a caveat in the top court ensuring they would be guaranteed a hearing before any temporary orders were passed.
On May 15, the Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh HC ruled that the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex was a temple dedicated to Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati) and quashed an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) order allowing Muslims to offer Friday namaz at the site.
Before the verdict, Hindus were allowed to worship at the medieval place only on Tuesdays, while Muslims had been offering Friday prayers there for years, since both communities had laid claim to the structure.
Muslims to offer namaz at homes on first Friday after verdict
Members of the Muslim community in Dhar said they would offer their first Friday namaz at home and wear black bands after the court setback in the Bhojshala case.
Markets and business establishments run by Muslims will also remain closed in parts of Dhar on Friday, said community members.
Meanwhile, officials said more than 1,500 police personnel, backed by drones and CCTV surveillance, have been deployed in and around the Bhojshala complex ahead of the first Friday after the high court verdict.
The Bhoj Utsav Samiti has called upon members of the Hindu community to gather for an “akhand puja” and “maha aarti” at the 11th-century structure on Friday.
Dhar Superintendent of Police Sachin Sharma told PTI that a nine-layer security arrangement, including vehicle checks, mobile patrolling, CCTV surveillance and drone monitoring, has been put in place around the complex.
Muslim community president Abdul Samad told reporters that they would express their unhappiness within the framework of the Constitution and the law. “We will offer namaz at our homes and wear black bands in protest. We will not hurt anybody’s religious sentiments or offer prayers at public places,” he said.
He said community members would upload photographs and videos of the prayers on social media to highlight their position.
Samad said a delegation from the Muslim community recently met the administration and submitted a memorandum alleging that certain activities around Bhojshala were not in line with the high court’s directions.
(With inputs from PTI)
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