The Madhya Pradesh High Court’sverdictrecognising the Bhojshala complex in Dhar as a temple of Goddess Vagdevi triggered sharp reactions from both Hindu and Muslim groups on Friday, with celebrations breaking out among Hindu organisations while Muslim leaders indicated they would challenge the ruling in the Supreme Court.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi criticised the verdict and drew parallels with the Ayodhya dispute. “We hope the Supreme Court will set this right and overturn this order. Glaring similarities with the Babri Masjid judgment,” Owaisi wrote on X.

Dhar’s Shahar Qazi Wakar Sadiq also reacted strongly to the ruling, saying the Muslim side will challenge the order before the apex court.

Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, appearing for the Hindu side, described the judgment as “historic.” He said the court had partially set aside the ASI’s 2003 order and recognised the Bhojshala complex as belonging to Raja Bhoj. “The Court has granted the Hindu side the right to worship,” he said, adding that the government had also been directed to consider allocating alternate land to the Muslim side for a mosque.

Jain further said the court had asked the government to consider the Hindu side’s demand for the return of an idol currently housed in a London museum. According to him, the order also directed the state government to oversee the management of the site. “The ASI's previous order, which granted the right to offer Namaz, has been completely set aside; henceforth, only Hindu worship shall take place there,” he said.

BJP leaders hailed the verdict as a victory for Sanatan Dharma. BJP MLA Rameshwar Sharma said, “Truth can never be defeated,” and claimed that Hindu society had continued to fight despite “continuous attacks” on Sanatan Dharma. “Today, through the judiciary, they have achieved victory,” he said.

BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya said the verdict had recognised the complex as the temple of Goddess Vagdevi and noted that security had been tightened across Dhar due to the sensitivity of the issue.

The Bhojshala-Kamal Maula complex has remained at the centre of a long-standing dispute between Hindu and Muslim groups. Hindus consider the site a temple dedicated to Goddess Vagdevi, while Muslims regard it as the Kamal Maula mosque.

The site made headlines in 2022 over disputes related to worship rights, ASI surveys and competing historical claims, making it one of the country’s most closely watched religious disputes after Ayodhya, Gyanvapi and Mathura.

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