Today, on 24th March 2026, Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla of the Madhya Pradesh High Court will inspect the Bhojshala–Kamal Maula Mosque complex amid petitions on Hindu worship rights and namaaz restrictions; court earlier said it would visit for clarity.
MADHYA PRADESH: Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla of the Madhya Pradesh High Court will personally inspect the contentious Bhojshala–Kamal Maula Mosque complex today in Dhar district.
A bench comprising Justice Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi is hearing a group of petitions that seek to restore the Bhojshala complex for Hindu worship and bar Muslims from offering namaaz on the premises.
On March 16, the court indicated it would visit the site to get a clearer understanding of its layout.
It said in the order,
“The Court propose to visit the site before the next date of hearing,”
The inspection is being conducted without any parties present. Justice Shukla is due to depart from Indore around noon and is expected to arrive in Dhar within an hour. Formal hearings in the matter are scheduled to begin on April 2.
In 2024, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) submitted a report to the High Court stating that its investigation of the Bhojshala complex showed the “existing structure was made from the parts of earlier temples.”
The ASI filed the report after the High Court directed a survey of the site in Dhar district, which contains both the Bhojshala and the Kamal Maula Mosque.
The report said,
“From art and architecture of decorated pillars and pilasters, it can be said that they were part of earlier temples and were reused while making colonnades of the mosque over the high platform of the basalt. A pillar decorated with niches in all the four directions depict mutilated images of deities. Another base of a pillar also depicts a deity image in a niche. Standing images on two pilasters have been chopped off and are beyond recognition,”
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In May 2024, the Supreme Court declined to stay the ASI survey but ruled that its findings could not be acted upon until further orders. In January this year, the apex court directed that a status quo be maintained at the site pending resolution of the dispute.
On March 16, the High Court invited the parties to file objections, opinions, suggestions or recommendations regarding the ASI report before the next hearing.
It directed,
“Keeping in view the directions contained in para 9(iii) & 9(iv) of the order dated 22.01.2026 passed by the Apex Court in the case of Maulana Kamaluddin Welfare Society Dhar, M.P. Vs. Hindu Front For Justice (Regd. Trust No.976) & others, (Civil Appeal No.466/2026, arising out of SLP (C) No.7023/2024), parties are directed to argue the matter finally on the next date of hearing,”
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