New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear on Thursday a plea filed by the Hindu Front for Justice (HFJ) seeking exclusive rights for Hindus to offer prayers on Basant Panchami at the disputed Bhojshala Temple–Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Dhar district of western Madhya Pradesh.
The application was filed on January 2, 2026, by advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain on behalf of the HFJ and was mentioned urgently before the apex court on Tuesday. Acting on the request, the Supreme Court listed the matter for hearing on Thursday, January 22, a day ahead of Basant Panchami, which falls on Friday.
Explaining the urgency, Jain submitted that the Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) April 7, 2003 order does not address situations where Basant Panchami coincides with Friday prayers.
He sought exclusive, uninterrupted worship rights for Hindus for the entire day on January 23.
The 2003 ASI order permits Muslims to offer Friday namaz at the site between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., while allowing Hindus to perform traditional rituals on Basant Panchami and granting them exclusive access every Tuesday. However, it does not specify arrangements for years when Basant Panchami falls on a Friday.
According to records, such a calendar overlap occurred in 2006, 2013 and 2016. In those years, the ASI issued advance directions permitting namaz from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and allowing Hindu rituals from sunrise till noon and again from 3.30 p.m. to sunset, with restrictions on the quantity of flowers and rice carried for worship.
While similar orders were issued several days in advance on earlier occasions, no such directive has been released so far for January 23 this year.
In the absence of a fresh ASI order, the Supreme Court hearing has assumed significance, particularly as the town of Dhar remains communally sensitive.
Hindu and Muslim groups have maintained firm positions on access to the site.
The HFJ has sought exclusive access for Hindus to perform the Goddess Saraswati puja throughout the day on Basant Panchami, along with strict security arrangements by the ASI and the state government.
The plea also seeks an expedited hearing of the main dispute pending before the Supreme Court.
The Bhojshala complex, a protected monument under the ASI, is claimed by Hindus as an ancient temple dedicated to Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati), believed to have been built by Parmar ruler Raja Bhoja in the 11th century.
Muslims assert that the structure is the Kamal Maula Mosque and point to the continuity of Islamic worship at the site.
The petition further alleges that allowing Friday namaz without a final determination of the monument’s religious character violates the spirit of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act.
It argues that Basant Panchami holds special religious significance in Sanatan Dharma and that overlapping observances on rare occasions have previously led to tension and disorder.
Earlier, the Madhya Pradesh High Court, in an order dated July 22, 2024, declined to proceed further in a related petition on the Bhojshala dispute, citing the Supreme Court’s interim order of April 1, 2024.
The High Court said it would await final directions from the apex court, where the main case concerning the site’s religious character and the ASI survey remains pending and is tagged with matters related to the Places of Worship Act.
Meanwhile, local authorities in Dhar have stepped up security measures, deploying thousands of personnel across the town to prevent any untoward incidents on January 23.
(IANS)
