“We Have Demanded To Lift Interim Stay Imposed By Supreme Court On Implementation Of ASI Report On Bhojshala Temple Issue”: Petitioner Ashish Goyal

Ahead of the upcoming Supreme Court hearing on the Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque complex case in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district, petitioner Ashish Goyal has called for the removal of an interim stay imposed by the Court on the implementation of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) report.

“Today, the petition filed by the Hindu Front for Justice is to be heard in the Supreme Court. We have demanded that the stay imposed by the Supreme Court on the implementation of the ASI survey conducted in Bhojshala should be removed and the religious nature of Bhojshala, as per the ASI survey, should be recognized,” Goyal told media.

Discussing legal precedents, he added, “The Places of Worship Act came into effect in 1991, but it does not apply to sites preserved by ASI. As seen in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi case in Ayodhya, this Act was not enforced, and we are demanding a similar exemption for the Bhojshala complex.”

For Hindus, the Bhojshala Complex is regarded as a temple dedicated to Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati), whereas for Muslims, it serves as the Kamal Maula mosque. A 2003 arrangement permits Hindus to perform puja at the complex every Tuesday from sunrise to sunset, while Muslims offer namaz on Fridays from 1 PM to 3 PM.

On April 1, the Supreme Court issued a notice regarding a plea challenging the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s directive to conduct an ASI survey at the Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque complex. However, it declined to stay the survey in the disputed site.

In an interim order, a bench comprising Justices Hrishikesh Roy and Prashant Kumar Mishra ruled that no action should be taken based on the ASI survey’s outcome without the Court’s permission. The bench also clarified that no physical excavation should be conducted at the disputed site that would alter its existing character.

Following the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s Indore Bench directive, ASI commenced its survey of the Bhojshala/Kamal Maula Mosque complex on March 22. The ASI submitted its final survey report, spanning approximately 2,000 pages, to the Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on July 15.

However, per the Supreme Court’s directive, no action has yet been taken on the ASI survey report.

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