Congress Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh on Friday said the Supreme Court would now have to decide whether prayers and worship can be permitted at the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Dhar, following the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s ruling declaring the structure a temple of Goddess Saraswati.
The Indore bench of the High Court, in its judgment delivered on Friday, also quashed the Archaeological Survey of India’s April 7, 2003 order that had allowed Muslims to offer prayers at the premises every Friday.
The remarks come as the Muslim side has already announced plans to challenge the High Court verdict in the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, a Hindu petitioner has filed a caveat in the apex court, requesting that no order be passed without hearing its side in any appeal related to the case.
“Bhojshala is an ASI-protected monument. We will study the High Court’s decision in the Bhojshala matter,” Singh told reporters.
He said the question of whether worship or prayers can be conducted within an ASI-protected monument should ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court.
The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister reiterated his long-standing view that the idol of Goddess Saraswati, currently housed in the British Museum in London, should be brought back to India.
“However, I have never stated where the idol should be installed after it returns,” Singh clarified.
Notably, in its 242-page order, the High Court observed that the central government “may consider” representations made by some petitioners seeking the return of the Saraswati idol from London and its reinstallation within the Bhojshala complex.
Singh claimed that former President Shankar Dayal Sharma had also made efforts in the past to bring the idol back to India.
He also pointed out that the ASI’s scientific survey report on the Bhojshala complex did not mention the idol.
The Congress leader urged that legal procedures and established rules be followed in matters involving disputed religious sites. He referred to ongoing Supreme Court cases related to the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi, the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, and the Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Eidgah dispute in Mathura.
Stating that the country is facing economic and social challenges, Singh said it was not an appropriate time to raise Hindu-Muslim issues.
He also termed the alleged irregularities in the NEET examination a “massive scam” and said the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, which he chairs, had submitted detailed recommendations in its 2024 report to prevent such lapses.
Calling for accountability, Singh urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek the resignation of the Union Education Minister and dismiss the National Testing Agency (NTA) chairman immediately.
