Bhojshala issue: MP HC asks Indore bench to club related petitions
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has asked its Indore bench to club all petitions related to the Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque dispute in Dhar and hear the matter on February 23.
A division bench of Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf transferred the case on Wednesday, ruling that the Indore bench should hear the matter for the convenience of all local parties since the 11th-century monument is located in Dhar. The High Court, located in Jabalpur, fixed the next date of hearing of the case on February 23 at the Indore bench.
Hindus consider Bhojshala a temple dedicated to Vagdevi (Goddess Saraswati), while the Muslim community claims the 11th-century monument to be the Kamal Maula Mosque. The complex is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
As per the existing arrangement under the ASI’s April 2023 order, Hindus are allowed to worship at the site every Tuesday, while Muslims are allowed to offer namaz every Friday.
Advocate Vinay Joshi -- lawyer for Hindu Front for Justice, one of the litigants -- who attended the hearing online, told PTI that the HC’s direction was issued for the convenience of all parties.
The case will now be heard by the senior-most judge of the Indore bench, he said. On February 16, the Indore bench, citing a Supreme Court order dated January 22, 2026, directed that the writ petition pending before it be placed before a division bench headed by the Chief Justice or a senior HC judge within three weeks.
The Indore bench also said that pending petitions related to the dispute be placed before the Chief Justice at the principal bench in Jabalpur for appropriate orders, along with a pending writ appeal. The apex court had on January 22 directed the HC to unseal the scientific survey report of the disputed complex submitted by the ASI, and make it available to the parties so that they could file objections, if any.
The SC said the matter would be taken up for final hearing after objections are filed, and directed all parties to maintain the status quo at the disputed complex and comply with the ASI’s April 2023 order until the final order is passed.
