Bhojshala dispute: Supreme Court asks Madhya Pradesh to consider allotment of land near dargah for namaz

A view of the Supreme Court of India building in New Delhi. File | Photo Credit: Reuters The Supreme Court directed the Madhya Pradesh State administration on Thursday (July 30, 2026) to meet with the Muslim side to consider allocation of a specific piece of land to be reportedly near a dargah located adjacent to the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula mosque complex for offering Friday namaz.The court emphasised that the State’s constitutional duty, along with maintenance of law and order, extends to ensuring communities are free to perform their religious rites.A three-judge Bench headed by the Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said its order would not stop the State from suggesting alternative and better-located land agreeable to the Muslim petitioners.Appearing for the State of Madhya Pradesh, Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj said the State did not want to go into the respective rights of the two competing sides. The State merely wanted an amicable solution.The previous hearing had witnessed senior advocate Huzeifa Ahmadi, representing the Muslim petitioners, including the mosque’s caretaker Qazi Moinuddin, urging the Madhya Pradesh government to “not succumb to bullying” from “one particular side” while considering the allotment of land for namaz.The court was considering an application alleging that the land currently allotted was 1.3 km away from the disputed complex. On July 14, 2026 the Supreme Court had directed the State authorities to identify an open space near the disputed complex where members of the Muslim community could offer Friday namaz between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. as an interim arrangement till the dispute was decided finally.On May 15, 2026 the State High Court ruled that the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula mosque complex in Dhar district was a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati. It had simultaneously quashed a decades-old Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) order that allowed the Muslim community to offer Friday prayers at the site. The High Court had also allowed the Centre and the ASI to decide on the Bhojshala complex’s administration and management.The Hindu community considers Bhojshala a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, while the Muslim side considers the 11th century monument the Kamal Maula mosque. Published - July 30, 2026 06:31 pm IST