India’s Supreme Court allows Hindus, Muslims to offer prayers at Bhojshala on Basant Panchami

Dubai: The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed both Hindus and Muslims to offer prayers at the disputed Bhojshala Temple–Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar on Friday, January 23, when the Hindu festival Basant Panchami coincides with Friday prayers, NDTV and The Times of India reported.

Under the court’s order, Hindus will be permitted to perform prayers from sunrise to sunset on Basant Panchami, while Muslims may offer Friday namaz between 1 pm and 3 pm. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi also directed that a list of Muslim worshippers attending the namaz be furnished to the district administration in advance.

The bench appealed to both communities to observe mutual respect and cooperate with state and district authorities to ensure the maintenance of law and order. The court was hearing a petition filed by the Hindu Front for Justice (HFJ), which had sought exclusive rights for Hindus to offer prayers at the site on Basant Panchami.

The petition, filed on January 2 by advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, argued that the Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) 2003 order governing worship at the site does not address situations where Basant Panchami falls on a Friday. January 23 marks only the fourth such coincidence, after 2006, 2013 and 2016, NDTV reported.

According to The Times of India, the Supreme Court also directed that the ASI report on the religious character of the Bhojshala–Saraswati Temple–Kamal Maula Mosque complex, which has been submitted in a sealed cover before the Madhya Pradesh High Court, be shared with both communities through the High Court.

Security has been significantly tightened across Dhar ahead of the religious observances. Nearly 8,000 police personnel, including forces from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Rapid Action Force (RAF), have been deployed across the district, officials said. Police are conducting foot and vehicle patrols, monitoring CCTV feeds, and keeping a close watch on social media activity to prevent the spread of rumours or inflammatory content.

The Times of India reported that saffron flags and ‘Akhand Puja’ billboards have appeared in parts of the city ahead of Basant Panchami. The Bhoj Utsav Committee has sought permission to conduct ‘Akhand Puja’ (continuous prayers) throughout January 23, with its patron Ashok Jain saying 30,000 to 50,000 devotees are expected to participate.

Meanwhile, Zulfikar Pathan, head of the Kamal Maula Namaz Intezamia Committee, said the Muslim community has requested Friday prayers strictly between 1 pm and 3 pm, in line with the ASI’s April 7, 2003 order, and “without any hindrance.”

The Bhojshala complex, an ASI-protected medieval-era monument, is at the centre of a long-running dispute. Hindus believe it to be an 11th-century temple dedicated to deity Vagdevi (Saraswati), while the Muslim community regards it as the Kamal Maula Mosque, where namaz has been offered for centuries.

Petitioners have claimed the mosque was built during Alauddin Khilji’s reign over a pre-existing temple, with the structure completed in 1514 under Mehmood Khilji II. They cite ASI findings, inscriptions and carvings as evidence of the temple’s earlier existence. However, Dhar Shahar Qazi Sadiq has rejected these claims, saying namaz has been offered at the site for over 700 years, and alleging that politics has fuelled the current tensions.