The Supreme Court agrees to list for hearing a batch of appeals challenging a Madhya Pradesh High Court decision in the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula complex dispute in Dhar district. A Bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant and including Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohan considers requests by senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi and other counsel for the Muslim appellants to have the matter heard urgently. The Chief Justice asks the petitioners to remove defects in their appeals and indicates the cases will be listed before an appropriate Bench.
On May 15, the High Court rules that the disputed, protected 11th-century monument has the religious character of a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati. The High Court also sets aside an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) order from April 7, 2003, that had permitted Friday prayers for the Muslim community at the site and allowed Hindus to worship on Tuesdays. The High Court directs the Centre and the ASI to decide administration and management, and says the ASI will supervise preservation, conservation and regulation of religious access. It also allows the Muslim community to approach the State Government for allotment of separate land to construct a mosque.
All parties dispute the site’s religious identity: the Hindu side links it to Bhojshala temple traditions, while the Muslim side identifies it as the Kamal Maula Mosque.