Muslim side set to approach Supreme Court against Bhojshala verdict; BJP leaders hail order

THe moslem petitioners on fri said they testament displace the sublime Court challenging the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s decision declaring the disputed Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Dhar district a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, even as BJP leaders and Hindu organisations celebrated the ruling across the state.“We are not satisfied with the High Court’s decision. We will challenge it before the Supreme Court as soon as possible,” Muslim side’s lawyer, Ashar Warsi, was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.He added that the scientific survey of the Bhojshala complex conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India and its report, on which the HC relied, were “flawed”.The Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh high court declared the religious character of the Bhojshala structure as a temple of Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati), in a ruling built, to a notable degree, upon principles from the Supreme Court’s 2019 Ayodhya judgment. It also quashed the April 7, 2003 order of the ASI, which allowed Muslims to offer prayers on the premises every Friday.Warsi said the Muslim side hoped that the apex court would consider its arguments and restore the permission to offer namaz at the site.The ruling also prompted sharp reactions from Opposition parties.AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also criticised the ruling in a post on X. “We hope the Supreme Court will set this right and overturn this order. Glaring similarities with the Babri Masjid judgment... We consider this judgment erroneous because the Court ignored the 1935 Dhar State Gazette, 1985 Waqf registration, and also ignored the Place of Worship Act... The Court also ignored the ongoing civil dispute case of the title,” he said.Congress MLA Arif Masood said the verdict relied heavily on the ASI survey report, which had earlier been questioned by the mosque committee.The CPI(ML) said the ruling struck “at the spirit of the Places of Worship Act”.Meanwhile, BJP MLA Rameshwar Sharma termed the HC’s decision a victory for Hinduism. “Invaders had destroyed temples and burnt sacred texts. The judgment restored respect for religious places, gods and goddesses.”BJP national spokesperson RP Singh said the verdict was based on evidence presented before the court. “The archaeology department presented facts and evidence through which it was proven that it was a temple of Goddess Saraswati. The entire country welcomes it,” he told news agencies.Echoing similar sentiments, Hindu Front for Justice member and petitioner Ashish Goyal said, “We welcome the decision. There was long-supported evidence for Bhojshala’s identity as a Sanskrit school and Saraswati temple. Now, the next objective is to bring back the idol of Goddess Saraswati from London,” he said, while urging people not to post objectionable content on social media.Following the verdict, security was tightened across Dhar district, said officials. The Bhojshala premises were sealed, barricades erected and heavy police deployment put in place.Meanwhile, superintendent of police Sachin Sharma said, “A 12-layer security arrangement has been created across Dhar city, with the Reserve Police Force and Rapid Action Force on alert. Prohibitory orders will remain in force till June 5.”