- Hindus, Muslims can offer prayers at disputed Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Madhya Pradesh
- Hindus allowed from sunrise to sunset on Basant Panchami; Muslims from 1 pm to 3 pm
- Supreme Court said a list of Muslims coming for namaz needs to be given to officials
The Supreme Court has allowed Hindus and Muslims to offer prayers at the disputed Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar on Friday.
Members of the Hindu community have been allowed to pray from sunrise to sunset on the Hindu festival Basant Panchami, which falls on Friday this year, while Muslims can offer their Friday prayers from 1 pm to 3 pm.
A list of persons from the Muslim community coming for namaz needs to be given to the district administration, a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi said.
They also appealed to both sides to observe mutual respect and cooperate with the state and district administration for the maintenance of law and order.
The court was hearing a petition filed by a Hindu outfit, the Hindu Front for Justice (HFJ), which sought exclusive rights for Hindus to offer prayers on Basant Panchami.
The application, which was filed on January 2 by advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain on behalf of the HFJ and was mentioned urgently before the court, said that the Archaeological Survey of India's (ASI) 2003 order does not address situations where Basant Panchami coincides with Friday prayers.
The Bhojshala Row
Hindus consider Bhojshala, an 11th-century monument, to be a temple dedicated to Vagdevi (Goddess Saraswati), while the Muslim community calls it Kamal Maula mosque.
The 2003 ASI order permits Muslims to offer Friday namaz at the site between 1 pm and 3 pm, while allowing Hindus to perform traditional rituals on Basant Panchami and granting them exclusive access every Tuesday.
However, it does not specify arrangements for years when Basant Panchami falls on a Friday. January 23 is only the fourth such coincidence after 2006, 2013 and 2016.
Dhar On High Alert
Security has been stepped up in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar ahead of Basant Panchami.
About 8,000 police personnel, including those from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Rapid Action Force (RAF), have been deployed throughout the Madhya Pradesh district.
The police are holding foot and vehicle patrols and are also keeping an eye out with CCTV.
They are also scanning social media activity across the city.
