What happened
The Supreme Court declined to restore the earlier status quo at the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula mosque complex after the Madhya Pradesh High Court held that the site is a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati and barred Friday prayers there. Instead of immediate restoration, the Bench asked the Madhya Pradesh government to identify an open space near the disputed site where Muslims could offer Friday namaz between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. as an interim measure.
The court also restrained the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) from making structural changes without its permission and issued notices to the State and the Union government.
Background and earlier position
The Muslim petitioners argued that the Places of Worship Act, 1991 should prevent any change in the religious character of the site. They also said the High Court’s findings were disputed and had not been properly tested through cross-examination.
The High Court had earlier concluded that the complex was a temple and had ended the old ASI arrangement allowing prayers at the site.
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