A legal petition requesting worship rights for the Jain community at the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula mosque complex in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, was withdrawn on technical grounds on Friday. The writ petition, initiated by Delhi-based social activist Salekchand Jain, was aimed at reinstating a historical Jain Gurukul and temple within the complex, where, according to the petition, idols of Goddess Ambika were once enshrined.
During the proceedings, Justice Pranay Verma of the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court noted that the petition was not submitted in the proper format and lacked an explanation for the delay in its filing. Following these observations, Jain’s legal team opted to withdraw the petition with the intention to refile it correctly.
The petition detailed that the Bhojshala complex historically functioned as a Jain educational hub where students were taught by Jain monks and scholars engaged in the translation of texts in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and other languages. It further contested the identity of an idol traditionally recognized by the Hindu community as Vagdevi (Goddess Saraswati), claiming it to be that of Goddess Ambika, a revered figure in Jainism, supposedly installed by King Bhoj of Dhar in 1034 AD.
Also Read
Additionally, the petition had urged the repatriation of the statue, presently housed in a London museum, to be reinstalled at the Bhojshala premises in Dhar. This site is a point of contention between the Hindu and Muslim communities, with Hindus identifying it as a temple of Goddess Saraswati and Muslims recognizing it as the Kamal Maula Mosque. The complex is under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
