SC directs Centre, MP to comply with order on namaz site near Bhojshala complex ‘in letter and spirit’

The Supreme Court directed the Union and Madhya Pradesh governments to strictly comply with its interim order to identify an 'adjacent' open space for the Muslim community to offer Friday namaz near the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex. This directive came after the authorities identified a site nearly 2 km away, which the court deemed non-compliant with its earlier order. The dispute involves competing Hindu and Muslim religious claims over the 11th-century ASI-protected monument, following a High Court ruling that declared it a Saraswati temple and barred Friday namaz. The SC emphasized avoiding tension and prohibited structural alterations to the complex without its prior permission.