Bhojshala Row: Muslim Parties Move SC, Say Namaz Site Is 2 KM Away, Not 'Adjacent' as Ordered

The Bhojshala dispute is back in the headlines. Muslim parties have gone to the Supreme Court, unhappy with the spot the Madhya Pradesh government has picked for Friday namaz. Their complaint is that the Court had earlier ordered that the namaz site should be right next to the Bhojshala complex, but the plot actually given is 2 kilometres away.

Senior Advocate Huzefa Ahmadi raised the matter before Chief Justice of India Surya Kant this morning, asking for the case to be heard urgently, as soon as tomorrow.

The government pushed back on the distance claim. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the state, said the site is not 2 kilometres away but closer to 900 metres. Still, he agreed that the location isn't ideal and said he would push the administration to find something nearer.

Justice Bagchi pointed out that the Court's earlier order had led to an adjacent site being used for namaz before, so there was no reason a similar spot couldn't be found again. Mehta said the search for a better site was already in progress, though he asked for a little more time to sort it out.

Ahmadi reminded the Court that Muslims had already missed two Friday prayers because of this delay. In response, the Solicitor General assured the bench that the Court's order would be followed properly, both in letter and in spirit.

The Chief Justice then suggested a way forward: list the matter again on Friday, and in the meantime, find an alternate site that is actually adjacent to the complex, as originally ordered.

What's the Bhojshala Dispute About?

Bhojshala is a centuries-old monument in Madhya Pradesh that has long been at the centre of a religious tug-of-war. Hindu groups consider it a temple dedicated to the goddess Saraswati, while Muslim groups know it as the Kamal Maula Mosque and say it has special religious significance for them, with prayers held there for generations.

The dispute took a major turn when the Madhya Pradesh High Court ruled that Bhojshala should be treated as a temple, and barred it from being used for Islamic prayers going forward. Muslim groups challenged this ruling and took the matter to the Supreme Court.

Last week, the Supreme Court declined to put the High Court's order on hold. However, recognising that the site held deep religious importance for Muslims, who said prayers had continued there for centuries, the Court directed the local administration to at least provide an alternative spot next to the Bhojshala complex where Friday namaz could still be offered.

That's where today's dispute comes in. The Muslim parties say the administration didn't stick to the spirit of that order, offering a site far from the complex instead of one right beside it. The state disputes exactly how far the site is, but has admitted it isn't good enough and has promised to look for something closer.

The Supreme Court is expected to take up the matter again on Friday. Until then, the state has been asked to find a genuinely adjacent site for Friday namaz, as the original order intended.

Read More: 'Washed Away Stain on Bhojshala'; Complex Will Be Known As 'Maa Saraswati Kanthabharan': Bhojshala Mukti Yagya Convener on MP High Court Verdict