Supreme Court declines to restore Friday namaz at Bhojshala, orders alternative prayer site
Supreme Court agrees to hear appeals in the Bhojshala–Kamal Maula dispute, orders alternate space for Friday namaz while the case remains pending. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
New Delhi: A bench comprising the Chief Justice of India, Surya Kant, along with Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana, issued notice on Tuesday on petitions filed by Muslim parties challenging a Madhya Pradesh high court verdict. The high court had ruled on May 15 that the 11th-century complex was a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, and had quashed an earlier arrangement allowing Friday namaz there.
The Muslim side had asked the court to restore the earlier arrangement, under which Hindus worshipped on designated days and Muslims offered Friday prayers at the site. The bench declined, with the CJI remarking, “Let us not pass any order which can cause tension.”
Instead, the court directed Madhya Pradesh to identify an open space near the complex where Muslims can offer Friday namaz between 1pm and 3pm, describing the arrangement as temporary and “without prejudice” to either side’s rights. The court also barred the Archaeological Survey of India from making structural changes to the site without its permission.
The dispute centres on whether the complex is Bhojshala, a temple linked to King Bhoja and Goddess Saraswati, or the Kamal Maula Mosque, where Muslims say prayers have been offered for centuries. The court has not ruled on the underlying dispute and said it would hear the case on a day-to-day basis, with the matter likely to be listed again within 10 to 15 days.
