Indore, March 17
Indore Bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court held a hearing in the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Complex issue and proposed that the court would visit the site before the next hearing is held on the matter.
During the hearing on Monday, the division bench of Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi further directed that if any party is yet to file its objection or suggestion related to the report of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), then it may submit before the next hearing, which is scheduled for April 2.
"Considering the nature of the petition and that the petition is a public interest litigation, applications for intervention are allowed to the extent that the intervenor would be given right to the audience only at the time of hearing and may file documents in support of the submissions on affidavit, which are proposed to be raised," the Court said.
"Parties may submit their respective objections/opinion/suggestions or recommendations in respect of the report of the Archaeological Survey of India before the next date, if not already filed, in terms of the directions contained in para 9(ii) and (iii) of the order dated 22.01.2026. The Court proposes to visit the site before the next date of hearing," the order read.
Meanwhile, Bhoj Utsav Samiti Advocate Shreesh Dubey said that sought additional time from the court to file their suggestion, which the court granted and instructed to file it before the next hearing.
"During the previous hearing, the court gave three weeks time to the parties to submit their suggestions or objections. Most of the suggestions and objections from the parties have now been received. Though, we had sought additional time from the court to submit our suggestions, which the court accepted and directed that to be submitted before the next hearing. The next date of hearing in the matter has been scheduled for April 2," Dubey told ANI.
The advocate further said that the court would visit the Bhojshala site without the presence of the petitioners, lawyers, or any respondents related to the matter before the next hearing.
"During the proceedings, the court also stated that it would conduct a site visit to the Bhojshala premises without the presence of the petitioners, lawyers, or respondents of the case. The next hearing will take place on April 2, and any suggestions or objections can be submitted in between before the next hearing," he added.
There is a disputed site, the Bhojshala complex, situated in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district. For Hindus, the Bhoj Shala complex is a temple dedicated to Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati), while for Muslims, it is the site of the Kamal Maula mosque.
According to an arrangement in 2003, Hindus perform puja at the complex on Tuesdays from sunrise to sunset, while Muslims offer namaz on Fridays from 1 pm to 3 pm.
- ANI
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