Supreme Court Hears Challenge to Bhojshala Ruling by Muslim Community

New Delhi, May 22: The Bhojshala complex in Madhya Pradesh has become the center of a legal battle as the Muslim community challenges a ruling by the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The court had recognized the site as a Hindu temple and granted special rights for worship to the Hindu community.

According to information available on the Supreme Court’s official website, a Special Leave Petition (SLP) has been filed by Qazi Moinuddin. This case is registered under diary number 32281/2026 and is currently pending.

The petition contests the decision made by the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on May 15, which ruled in favor of the Hindu claim to the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex.

Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi stated in their ruling that the Bhojshala complex is the property of King Bhoj and that the Hindu community’s right to worship has never been extinguished.

The High Court also noted that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) order from April 7, 2003, which allowed prayers at the site, was not in line with the original character of the complex. The court suggested that alternative land be provided for the construction of a mosque for the Muslim community while granting worship rights to the Hindu side.

The court referenced an archaeological survey scheduled for 2024, which is expected to reveal evidence of Sanskrit inscriptions, a fire altar, and elements of Hindu temple architecture.

Following the ruling, the ASI issued a new directive on May 16, 2026, permitting the Hindu community unrestricted access to the Bhojshala complex for worship and studies related to Goddess Saraswati. However, administrative control will remain with the ASI due to the site’s protected status.

Additionally, the High Court instructed the central government to make efforts to repatriate an ancient statue of Goddess Saraswati currently housed in the British Museum in London.

Meanwhile, the Hindu side has also filed a caveat petition in the Supreme Court, requesting that no interim orders be passed on any petitions against the High Court’s ruling without hearing their side. This caveat was filed by Jitendra Singh Vishen.

The Bhojshala controversy has long been one of the most sensitive religious and historical issues in central India. The Hindu claim asserts that the site was established as a temple and Sanskrit education center by King Bhoj in 1034 AD, while the Muslim side maintains that the Kamal Maula Mosque has existed here for centuries, with prior administrative arrangements having already determined the site’s legal status.