‘Sensitive Matter’: SC Refuses Friday Namaz Inside Bhojshala, Allows Separate Open Space Nearby

Published 14 July 2026 · india

‘Sensitive Matter’: SC Refuses Friday Namaz Inside Bhojshala, Allows Separate Open Space Nearby Published By, Last Updated: July 14, 2026, 15:10 IST Supreme Court refused

‘Sensitive Matter’: SC Refuses Friday Namaz Inside Bhojshala, Allows Separate Open Space Nearby Published By, Last Updated: July 14, 2026, 15:10 IST Supreme Court refused to stay MP High Court's Bhojshala-Kamal Maula complex judgment and allowed Muslim community to offer Friday namaz at a separate open space. Bhojshala complex in MP's Dhar | File Image The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that Friday namaz will not be offered inside the Bhojshala complex, while directing that the Muslim community be provided a separate open space adjacent to the site to offer prayers as an ad hoc arrangement. The apex court also declined to stay the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s judgment declaring the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula complex in Dhar district as a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, and issued notices on the appeals filed by the Muslim side. A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant issued notices to the Centre, the Madhya Pradesh government, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the Hindu Front for Justice and other Hindu parties on a batch of appeals filed by the Muslim side challenging the High Court’s verdict. Kant observed that the Bhojshala dispute is a very sensitive matter and that the Court would have to be careful about what it says on the issue.

The matter has been listed for a hearing after two to three weeks. Refusing to grant interim relief by restoring the previous arrangement at the disputed complex, the apex court directed that, as an ad hoc measure, a separate open space be identified near the Bhojshala complex for Friday prayers. “Meanwhile, as an interim measure and without prejudice to rights of both sides… a separate open space adjacent to the subject premises may be provided to the appellant and other members of the Muslim community for offering namaz on Friday between 1 pm and 3 pm. The arrangement shall be ad hoc in nature and subject to final adjudication of the appeal," the court said. Also Read: Hindu Devotees Offer Prayers At Bhojshala After High Court Declares Site A Temple ‘No Namaz Inside Bhojshala Complex’ The court also made it clear that the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s order prohibiting namaz inside the Bhojshala complex will continue to remain in force. Calling the Bhojshala dispute a “sensitive issue", the Supreme Court on Tuesday urged both the Hindu and Muslim sides to exercise patience, saying it was prepared to hear the matter on a day-to-day basis to resolve the dispute. “Let us not pass any order which creates tension; both sides must have patience," the bench observed.