Supreme Court allows Hindus to conduct Basant Panchami puja, Muslims to offer prayers at disputed Bhojshala site on Jan 23

Hindu and Muslim groups had sought nod for religious activities at the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Madhya Pradesh on January 23.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has allowed Hindu prayers from sunrise to sunset on Basant Panchami on Friday at the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district, while permitting Muslims to offer namaz from 1 pm to 3 pm on the day.

The top court on Thursday also directed that a list of persons from the Muslim community coming for namaz be given to the district administration.

Hindu and Muslim groups have sought nod for religious activities at the Bhojshala complex on January 23, a Friday when Saraswati Puja will also be celebrated on the occasion of Basant Panchami.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi made an appeal to both sides to observe mutual respect and cooperate with the state and district administration for maintenance of law and order.

It directed the district administration to make law and order arrangements at the site for offering of prayers.

Hindus consider Bhojshala, an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-protected 11th-century monument, to be a temple dedicated to Vagdevi (Goddess Saraswati), while the Muslim community calls it Kamal Maula mosque.

Under an arrangement made by the ASI on April 7, 2003, Hindus perform puja on the Bhojshala premises on Tuesdays and Muslims offer 'namaz' in the complex on Fridays.