TBM Report
In a significant legal development, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has ruled that the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Dhar district is a Saraswati Temple. On Friday (May 15, 2026), a division bench comprising Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi delivered the verdict, stating that the Hindu community holds the exclusive right to worship at the site. The court also suggested that the Muslim community could apply to the state government for alternative land to construct a mosque.
The judgment is primarily based on a comprehensive scientific survey conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The court observed that historical literature and the ASI’s findings confirm the site was a prominent center for Sanskrit learning and a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati during the reign of King Bhoj. Consequently, the previous arrangement allowing Muslim prayers on Fridays and Hindu worship on Tuesdays has been revoked in favor of uninterrupted Hindu worship.
While the ownership and management of the site will remain under the ASI as a protected monument under the 1958 Act, the court directed the state government to ensure strict law and order in the vicinity. Additionally, the bench addressed the petitioners’ claim that the original idol of Goddess Saraswati is currently housed in a London museum. The central government has been instructed to evaluate the feasibility and legal prospects of repatriating the idol to Bhojshala.
This ruling mirrors the intense religious and legal disputes seen in the Ayodhya, Kashi, and Mathura cases. Pro-Hindu organizations have long campaigned for the recognition of Bhojshala as a temple, citing its 11th-century origin. Legal experts anticipate that the Muslim side may challenge this decision in the Supreme Court, as the verdict effectively ends their centuries-old practice of offering Namaz at the Kamal Maula Mosque within the complex.
, a division bench comprising Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi delivered the verdict, stating that the Hindu community holds the exclusive right to worship at the site. The court also suggested that the Muslim community could apply to the state government for alternative land to construct a mosque.){kind=link}