Muslim side to move SC against Bhojshala verdict as Hindu groups celebrate amid heavy security in Dhar

Representatives of the Muslim community on Friday (May 15, 2026) said that they would approach the Supreme Court to challenge the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s order declaring the disputed Bhojshala temple-Kamal Maula mosque site in Dhar as a Hindu temple dedicated to goddess Saraswati. 

Members of the Hindu community celebrated the verdict by the High Court’s Indore Bench, which granted them complete worship rights, even as strict security arrangements remained in place in Dhar and nearby areas. The district administration had already imposed preventive measures under Section 163 of the BNSS.

Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing the Hindu side, said the court accepted the Bhojshala complex as a centre of learning apart from a temple of goddess Saraswati.

Terming the verdict “historic”, Mr. Jain said, “The most important thing is that the court has granted us the right to worship here and asked the government to oversee its management. The court has also impugned the ASI order of April 7, 2003, allowing namaz there. Now only puja will be done there.”

“The court has accepted our core demand and each of our arguments and declared the nature of the structure to be that of a Hindu temple,” he said, speaking to reporters outside the High Court premises in Indore. 

Following the long-awaited verdict, Dhar city Qazi Waqar Sadiq said that the Muslim side would review the court’s decision and approach the Supreme Court with it. 

“We will review the High Court’s decision that has been given against our argument. We respect the court, but we will definitely challenge it in the Supreme Court. We will oppose it in the first hearing itself,” Mr. Sadiq said.

Mr. Sadiq, however, appeared to be rejecting the court’s recommendation that the Muslim side can approach the State government for an alternate piece of land for a mosque, while saying that the idea had “ended in the Supreme Court” during the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi and Babri mosque dispute verdict. 

“The Muslim side was given land then, but the same approach should not be taken repeatedly. This time, a different community should be asked to take land elsewhere. We maintain our claim,” he said. 

“Our arguments were presented in a good way by our lawyers [senior advocate] Salman Khurshid sahab and Shobha Menon,” he said. 

Advocate Noor Mohammad Sheikh, also representing the Muslim side, said that following the High Court’s order, namaz could no longer be offered at the site now until the Supreme Court intervened. 

“There is no question of namaz for now, as the High Court has not given rights to the Muslim side,” he said. 

Arshad Mansuri, another advocate representing the Muslim side, said that the court “only considered the facts of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)”.

“Our facts were not considered at all. But we will not say that the court did not hear our side, but we are not at all satisfied with the decision. This decision is also constitutionally wrong as it was a civil matter decided under the purview of the constitution,” he said. 

Meanwhile, more than 1,200 security personnel have been deployed in Dhar town and nearby areas, along with multiple companies of the Rapid Action Force (RAF), Special Armed Force (SAF) and the Quick Reaction Force (QRF), turning the area surrounding the complex into a high-security zone.

Indore (Rural) Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Manoj Kumar Singh told The Hindu that security measures had been put in place a day in advance, including the deployment of anti-riot vehicles and equipment. 

“Everything has been calm so far. We are also holding dialogues with representatives of both communities to maintain peace. More than 40 officers of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and inspector rank have been deployed on the ground, while senior officers are overseeing the arrangements,” he said.

Mr. Singh added that the police had dispersed some members of the Hindu community who were raising celebratory slogans.  

The High Court’s verdict came after hearing five writ and three intervention petitions. 

The Muslim and Hindu communities have been engaged in a prolonged legal tussle over the disputed site since mid 1990s, with tensions flaring on multiple occasions.

In 2003, the ASI issued an order allowing Hindus to worship at the complex on Tuesdays and Basant Panchami, while Muslims were permitted to offer prayers on Fridays. However, communal tensions repeatedly surfaced, especially when Basant Panchani coincided with Friday prayers.