BHOPAL: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Monday submitted to the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, its report on the 98-day scientific survey at the Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque in western MP’s Dhar town.
“The detailed report comprising 2,000-plus pages in 10 volumes has been submitted to the HC, as directed by it on July 4. The next hearing is on July 22,” the ASI/Central government’s counsel Himanshu Joshi said.
While Joshi refused to divulge the contents of the report, senior advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, who represents the petitioner, Hindu Front for Justice (HFJ), claimed the survey’s outcome vindicated their stand.
“The ASI’s report makes our case strong. We’ll proceed to the Supreme Court for vacation of the stay order dated April 1, 2024, seeking an early hearing,” Jain told this newspaper.
Jain’s father Harishankar Jain had filed the writ petition in the matter in 2022. He said, “The ASI’s report has now established that there was a Hindu temple and Vedas, Shastras and Sanskrit education was imparted at the gurukul (university) there. More than 94 broken sculptures/idols of Hindu gods have been recovered from there during the ASI survey.”
Despite repeated attempts, Mohd Abdul Samad, the head of the Maulana Kamaluddin Welfare Society, who represents the Muslim side in the matter, could not be contacted.