The Supreme Court intervened to prevent communal tension at the Bhojshala–Kamal Maula Mosque in Dhar, allowing Hindu prayers from sunrise to sunset and Muslim namaz between 1 pm and 3 pm on January 23, when Basant Panchami falls on a Friday.
Both communities accepted the apex court’s decision, with political leaders welcoming the arrangement and the administration directed to ensure peaceful conduct of rituals through separate spaces and security measures.
Supreme Court Sets Time-Sharing Formula For Worship At Bhojshala Amid Tight Security
Nearly 8,000 police and paramilitary personnel, including CRPF and RAF units, have been deployed to enforce the court’s order and maintain law and order at the ASI-protected site.
Summary
A heavy deployment of police and paramilitary forces has been put in place in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district after the Supreme Court intervened on Thursday to prevent any tension at the disputed 11th-century Bhojshala–Kamal Maula Mosque complex.
With the Hindu festival of Basant Panchami falling on a Friday this year, both Hindu and Muslim communities had laid claim to the site for worship, raising concerns of possible communal friction. To address this, the apex court laid down a specific time-sharing arrangement.
A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant ruled that religious activities on Friday, January 23, would be divided between the two communities. As per the order, the Hindu community will be permitted to perform prayers from sunrise to sunset, while the Muslim community will be allowed to offer namaz between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm. The court also directed the Muslim community to submit, in advance, a list of those attending prayers to the district administration.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, appealed to both sides to maintain mutual respect and cooperate with the state and district administration to ensure law and order.
To enforce the Supreme Court’s directions and prevent any untoward incidents, nearly 8,000 police personnel have been deployed at the site, including units from the CRPF and the Rapid Action Force (RAF).
Reacting to the order, Bhojshala Mukti Yagya Samiti leader Gopal Sharma said, “Regarding the status of Bhojshala and its glorious establishment, our Hindu ancestors formed the Maharaja Bhoj Utsav Samiti in 1952 to spread the thoughts of Raja Bhoj, Saraswati, and Bhojshala to the masses, and began celebrating Basant Panchami.” He added, “Hindu society continues to follow this tradition to this day. Basant Panchami falls on January 23, and since it was a Friday, some confusion had arisen. The Supreme Court's order today stated the Hindu community has decided to observe continuous worship. Therefore, continuous worship will be held from sunrise to sunset.”
Advertisement
Zulfikar Pathan, head of the Kamal Moula Namaz Intezamia Committee, said the Muslim community had unanimously accepted the Supreme Court’s decision. “The Supreme Court's order mandates that namaz be offered safely and systematically within the premises. The April 7, 2003 order has been upheld. So, my appeal to everyone is to maintain peace and order,” Pathan said, adding that the community would further review the order and provide a response.
Former chief minister and Congress Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh also welcomed the decision. “When Basant Panchami falls on a Friday, Hindus go before 12 noon, and Muslims offer namaz from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Then, from 3 p.m., Hindus can also offer flowers. Now, it is the responsibility of the administration to follow the Supreme Court's decision,” Singh said.
Both Hindu and Muslim groups had sought permission to conduct religious activities at the Bhojshala complex on January 23, which coincides with Saraswati Puja on the occasion of Basant Panchami. Hindus consider the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-protected monument to be a temple dedicated to Vagdevi (Goddess Saraswati), while the Muslim community refers to it as the Kamal Maula mosque.
Advertisement
Under an arrangement put in place by the ASI on April 7, 2003, Hindus are allowed to perform puja at the site on Tuesdays, while Muslims offer namaz on Fridays.
The Supreme Court noted that the Additional Solicitor General and the Advocate General had fairly suggested that, after ascertaining the number of members of the Muslim community expected for namaz between 1 pm and 3 pm, an exclusive and separate space within the premises should be earmarked for prayers. “Similarly, a separate space, as per the past practice, shall be made available to the Hindu community to hold the traditional ceremonies on the occasion of Basant Panchami,” the bench said.
The court directed the district administration to make adequate law and order arrangements, adding, “The district administration may, with a view to ensure maintenance of law and order, issue appropriate passes, free of cost, for the visitors or may adopt any other fair measures to ensure no untoward incident takes place and the rituals are performed peacefully.”
Advertisement
The apex court was hearing a plea filed by the Hindu Front for Justice, through advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, seeking exclusive rights for Hindus to offer prayers on Basant Panchami. Jain argued that the ASI’s 2003 order did not address situations where Basant Panchami coincides with Friday prayers and sought uninterrupted worship rights for Hindus for the entire day.
Senior advocate Salman Khurshid, appearing for the mosque committee, submitted that Friday namaz takes place between 1 pm and 3 pm and that the premises could be vacated thereafter. He also said that the approximate number of worshippers from the Muslim community would be conveyed to District Magistrate Priyank Mishra.
Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj, representing the Centre and the ASI, assured the court that the district administration would ensure the maintenance of law and order.
Published At: