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In a major verdict in the long-running Bhojshala dispute, the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday declared that the disputed Bhojshala complex in Dhar district is a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati and quashed a 2003 Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) order permitting Muslims to offer Friday namaz at the site.

The Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court also said the Centre and the Archaeological Survey of India could decide on the administration and management of the complex.

Delivering its much-awaited judgement in the Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque dispute, a division bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi observed that evidence on record established the religious character of the site as a temple of Goddess Saraswati.

“The religious character of the disputed complex of Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque is established as a temple of Goddess Saraswati,” the bench said.

The court also suggested that the Muslim community, which identifies the 11th-century ASI-protected monument as the Kamal Maula Mosque, may seek separate land from the state government for the construction of a mosque in Dhar district.

The HC quashed the April 7, 2003, ASI order that had allowed Hindus to worship at the site every Tuesday and Muslims to offer namaz every Friday.

Also read: Calm scenes at Bhojshala during puja, namaz in Dhar

The verdict came after hearings on five petitions and one writ appeal filed by Hindu, Muslim and Jain groups, each claiming rights over the medieval-era monument. The court reserved its order on May 12 after extensive arguments from all sides.

Citing the ASI’s 2024 scientific survey report and historical documents, the court said the structure was linked to King Bhoj of the Parmar dynasty and indicated the prior existence of a Sanskrit learning centre and Saraswati temple at the site.

The ASI’s over 2,000-page survey report had stated that a large structure predating the mosque existed at the location and that parts of the present structure were built using repurposed temple remains.

A prominent Muslim cleric, however, said the verdict would be challenged in the Supreme Court after reviewing the full judgement.

Security was heightened in Dhar ahead of the ruling, with nearly 1,200 police personnel deployed around the complex.