Muslim side in SC, challenges high court’s Bhojshala order

NEW DELHI: The Muslim side Thursday moved SC challenging a Madhya Pradesh HC order which said the disputed Bhojshala complex was a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati. The Hindu community considers Bhojshala a temple dedicated to Saraswati, while the Muslim side calls the 11th-century monument the Kamal Maula Mosque. The disputed complex is protected by ASI. The appeal filed by the mosque’s caretaker, Qazi Moinuddin, has challenged HC’s order on May 15. Meanwhile, for the first time in 23 years, namaz will not be offered at Bhojshala, effectively ending the long-standing arrangement that had divided the site for worship between two communities. Amid a undercurrent of tension, the administration is leaving nothing to chance, and heavy security has been deployed across the city. The arrangement dated back to a 2003 ASI order, which allotted Tuesdays to Hindus for prayers and Fridays to Muslims for namaz, at the complex. HC struck down that order, while directing govt to consider applications for allotting land elsewhere for the construction of a mosque. Hindu organisations have been celebrating the ruling for nearly a week and plan to mark this Friday with significant fanfare. With communal tensions simmering, Dhar district collector Rajiv Ranjan Meena Wednesday called a peace meeting and issued a firm advisory. MP govt has announced that Bhojshala will be developed on the lines of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.