The Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Thursday delivered a landmark judgment in the decades-old Bhojshala-Kamal Maula dispute in Dhar district, ruling that the religious character of the Bhojshala complex is that of a Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Vagdevi Saraswati.

Following the verdict, security was intensified across Dhar as authorities monitored the situation to maintain peace and public order.

The division bench of Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi delivered the judgment while hearing petitions filed by Hindu Front for Justice and petitioner Kuldeep Tiwari, who had sought recognition of Bhojshala as a Hindu temple and a ban on offering namaz at the site.

The court said it examined archaeological evidence, ASI survey reports, historical documents and legal records before reaching its conclusion. According to the bench, historical literature and available evidence establish that Bhojshala was originally a temple and an important center of Sanskrit learning associated with Raja Bhoj of the Parmar dynasty.

The High Court observed that Hindu worship at the site had continued over the years and “has never been extinguished.” It also stated that the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula complex remains a protected monument under law since March 18, 1904, while maintaining that its religious identity is that of Bhojshala.

In a significant development, the court quashed portions of a 2003 Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) order that had allowed Muslims to offer namaz at the complex while restricting Hindu worship practices. The ruling effectively permits Hindu prayers and worship at the site while ending the earlier arrangement related to namaz.

The bench also directed the Union government and the ASI to decide the future administration and management of the Bhojshala temple and Sanskrit learning center. However, the ASI will continue supervising preservation and conservation work at the protected monument.

Addressing concerns raised by the Muslim side, the court said that if an application is submitted for allotment of land for a mosque elsewhere in Dhar district, the state government may consider the request in accordance with law.

The judgment also referred to demands seeking the return of the idol of Goddess Saraswati, believed to be housed in a museum in London. The court said the government may examine such representations as per legal procedures.

Following the verdict, petitioner Sahar Qazi from the Muslim side stated that they would study the judgment and approach the Supreme Court for further legal remedies. He also appealed for peace and communal harmony.

The Bhojshala dispute has remained one of Madhya Pradesh’s most sensitive religious and political issues for decades, with both Hindu and Muslim groups laying claim to the site. Thursday’s ruling is being viewed as a major judgment with significant legal, religious and political implications.