Owaisi Condemns Bhojshala Ruling, Calls it 'Erroneous' and 'Precedent-Setting'

Asaduddin Owaisi, chief of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), strongly criticized the Madhya Pradesh High Court's ruling on the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque dispute on May 15. He called the judgment "erroneous," stating that the court ignored key documents such as the 1935 Dhar State Gazette and 1985 Waqf registration records. Owaisi also argued that the ongoing civil dispute over the title of the Bhojshala complex was overlooked.

Owaisi compared the ruling to the Babri Masjid-Ram Mandir verdict, suggesting it sets a dangerous precedent that could lead to future disputes over religious sites nationwide. He claimed the decision gives primacy to one religion while undermining the worship rights of other communities. The AIMIM chief made these remarks while speaking in Hyderabad after the verdict.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court's Indore bench declared that the disputed Bhojshala complex in Dhar is a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati. The court observed indications of a Sanskrit teaching center and a Saraswati temple existing at the site. The bench also stated that the Muslim community could approach the state government for separate land allotment in Dhar district for building a mosque.

The court scrapped the 2003 Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) arrangement that had allowed Hindus to worship at the complex on Tuesdays and Muslims to offer Friday prayers there. The long-running dispute centers on the religious character of the ASI-protected monument in Dhar district. Hindus consider Bhojshala to be a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, while Muslims identify it as the Kamal Maula Mosque.

A Jain petitioner has also claimed that the site was originally a medieval Jain temple and gurukul. The verdict followed extensive hearings before a division bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi. The court heard multiple petitions and a writ appeal involving Hindu, Muslim, and Jain parties, all seeking exclusive worship rights over the disputed structure.

The ASI conducted a scientific survey of the complex following a High Court order issued on March 11, 2024. After a 98-day exercise, the agency submitted a detailed report exceeding 2,000 pages in July last year. According to the ASI, evidence suggested that a massive structure dating back to the Parmar dynasty existed before the mosque, and that the current structure incorporated repurposed temple components.