Congress MP Digvijaya Singh calls HC verdict on Bhojshala "vague", says site "not a place of worship"

Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) [India], May 17 : Congress MP and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh on Sunday questioned the verdict of the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula complex, stating that the ASI "found no evidence of a temple at the site."

Speaking with media personnel, Singh said that the monument, protected by ASI, is "not a place of worship," and said that High Court's order was "vague."

"ASI's protected monument is not a place for worship...in a report submitted by the Archaeological Survey of India, it was mentioned that they had found no evidence of a temple at the site...High Court's order is very vague," he said.

Meanwhile, Ashok Kumar Jain, a member of the Bhoj Utsav Samiti has welcomed the Madhya Pradesh High Court verdict declaring the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula complex a temple, saying their "long-standing battle" had finally borne fruit and urged the Hindu community to come forward and offer prayers at the site.

"Our long-standing battle bore fruit today, and we call on the Hindu society to come and offer prayers," Jain said on Saturday

He alleged that restrictions were imposed on Hindu worship during the tenure of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh.

"We used to offer prayers here every Tuesday, but the Congress state government under Digvijay Singh put restrictions on us and allowed us only once a year on Basant Panchami, while giving the rights to offer Namaz to the Muslims," he said

Calling the verdict historic, Jain said the corut's ruling was based on evidence and historical findings.

"It is a matter of joy that the verdict was delivered based on the report, and this was declared as the temple of Goddess Saraswati," he added.

He also expressed hope that the idol of Goddess Saraswati, currently housed in a museum in London, would be brought back to India.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday ruled that the religious character of the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula complex was that of Bhojshala, a temple dedicated to Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati), dating back to the Bhoj-Parmar dynasty.

The court also partially set aside the Archaeological Survey of India's (ASI) April 7, 2003 order, which had permitted the Muslim community to offer Namaz at the site on Fridays.

ASI lawyer Aviral Vikas Khare said the Bhojshala complex would continue to remain under the protection and supervision of the ASI.

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