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A Division Bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Rajesh Kumar Gupta successful Indore connected Friday (March 20, 2026) heard the petition filed by a Delhi-based activistic Salek Chand Jain, who has claimed the beingness of a Jain temple and a gurukul beneath the existing structure. The petitioner besides sought rights for the Jain assemblage to worship astatine the site, akin to the permissions granted to Hindus and Muslims.
The tribunal has granted 2 weeks clip to the authorities authorities to record their objections aft they raised questions astatine the maintainability of the plea arsenic a nationalist involvement litigation (PIL). The substance has been listed for April 2.
“Certain objections are raised by learned counsel for respondents regarding the maintainability of the contiguous petition arsenic a PIL. Considering the same, they are granted clip to record their abbreviated reply/objection earlier the adjacent day of hearing,” it said.
The caller plea comes conscionable days aft different Division Bench of the High Court, proceeding the quality betwixt the Hindu and Muslim assemblage representatives, said that it volition sojourn the disputed tract earlier the adjacent hearing. On Thursday, a squad of the Indore High Court besides visited the site.
The adjacent proceeding of this lawsuit is besides connected April 2 and the tribunal has asked each parties to contiguous their last arguments oregon objections to the technological survey study filed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
The ASI survey, conducted connected the directions of the HC, says that the existent operation was built connected the ruins of past temples by utilizing their remaining parts and that respective Sanskrit and Prakrit inscriptions person been recovered successful the structure, arsenic per its astir 2,200-page report.
The petition by Mr. Jain, however, claims that the tract has besides been an acquisition centre linked to the Jain community. The petition besides claims that the idol recovered from the Bhojshala tract which the Hindu assemblage claims to beryllium of Vagdevi (Goddess Saraswati), is really that of the Jain goddess Ambika (a Jain yakshini) installed successful the analyzable by King Bhoj of Dhar successful 1034 AD.
The idol was recovered by the British successful 1875 is presently placed successful a depository successful London.
Dr. Deepak Nahar, a section activistic successful Dhar corroborated Mr. Jain’s claims regarding the idol but denied that a Jain temple ever existed astatine the site.
“The idol is described arsenic that of Jain yakshini Ambika lone successful the British depository and it is precise antithetic from a Saraswati idol. The Vagdevi idol was taken from Dhar to Vadodara centuries agone which was besides past taken by the British during assemblage period,” helium said, speaking to The Hindu.
While the petitioners of the Hindu Community has expressed its restitution with the ASI survey report and claimed the operation to beryllium a Hindu temple, the Muslim broadside has alleged that the ASI ignored its earlier objections.
The tract is an ASI-protected, 11th Century monument. Under an statement with the ASI in 2003, Hindus are allowed to execute puja astatine the analyzable each Tuesday, portion Muslims connection namaz each Friday.
