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Synopsis

The Supreme Court of India on Monday has agreed to consider the early listing of a petition relating to the Bhojshala temple complex situated in Madhya Pradesh.

Notably, in April the supreme court had issued a notice in a plea challenging the Madhya Pradesh High Court's order directing a survey by the ASI at the Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque complex. By the same order court had also refused to stay the ASI's survey of the disputed sites.

Yesterday, an urgent mentioning was made by Advocate Vishnu Shanker Jain, appearing for the Hindu Front for Justice, before a bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti, saying that the ASI's report was submitted in the Madhya Pradesh High Court. 

The Madhya Pradesh High Court is also seized of the issue wherein a writ petition has been filed seeking to reclaim the Bhojshala complex located in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar for Hindus and prohibit Muslims from offering Namaz in its premises.

The plea also seeks directions to re-establish the idol of Goddess Saraswati (Vagdevi) which was established by King Bhoj in the year 1034 A.D but taken to London by the Britishers after it was desecrated.

PIL challenges the ASI order dated April 7, 2003, which allowed Muslims to offer namaz within the Bhojshala complex, and restricted the right of Hindus to worship within the premises. Hindus consider the Bhojshala to be a temple dedicated to Vagdevi, while Muslims know it as the Kamal Maula Mosque.