A local court in Karnataka has begun hearing a petition filed by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad about the ‘discovery of a temple-like structure’ inside a mosque in Managaluru’s Malali on Tuesday 31st May 2022. Both Hindu and Muslim sides have submitted the documents to support their respective claims.
Assayed Abdullahil Madani Mosque administrative committee’s counsel appeared before the third additional civil court to oppose the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) petition on Tuesday. The mosque committee’s counsel primarily relied on the Places of Worship Act 1991. The VHP resubmitted a plea in which it has sought a court-appointed commission to examine the ‘temple-like structure’.
According to a report by Hindustan Times, a Dakshina Kannada district administration official said that the mosque management, in its submission, claimed that the land belongs to the Wakf Board and under the Places of Worship Act, 1991, the petition filed by the VHP was not maintainable.
On the other hand, Chidananda Kedalaya, the lawyer appearing for the Hindu organizations said on Wednesday that he will file a fresh petition in the court. On Tuesday, Kedalaya said, “They (Muslim side) have claimed that under the Places of Worship Act the suit is not maintainable, but we believe it is. It is an ancient monument and there is an exception for such buildings under the provisions of law. So, we will be filing a detailed objection tomorrow (Wednesday).” Accordingly, he has filed the petition.
The first petition filed by the Hindu side sought the verification of the religious character of the Malali mosque and permission to conduct a survey of the mosque by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The second petition is now asking for a court-appointed commission that will conduct a study on the temple with the help of ASI. It is notable that a similar survey was done on the disputed structure and the so-called mosque in the Gyanvapi complex of Varanasi.
In the last month, a part of the mosque was demolished for the purpose of renovation and at that time a ‘temple-like-structure’ was noticed at the site. Since then, the controversy has erupted and the matter reached court. According to the local police, the renovation work was initiated by the mosque committee and when they demolished the front part of the mosque, a “kalasha” (spire), “tomara” (pillar), and poles resembling a temple were found there. Photographs of the same were circulated on social media.
A senior police officer, without disclosing his name, said, “Some earthmovers were deployed at the mosque to bring down its front portion as part of the renovation process. During the process, an alleged temple-like structure came to some people’s notice. JCB workers deployed at the mosque might have clicked photographs of the structure and shared them online.”
Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner KV Rajendra on Friday had held a meeting of all concerned officials and stakeholders and sought a report on the issue. The meeting was attended by members of the gram panchayat, Wakf board, endowment, state archaeology, revenue, and senior police officials.
The VHP, on the other hand, performed Tambula Prashne rituals. This ritual is often performed to ascertain if any temple existed on the spot. Kerala-based astrologer GP Gopalakrishna Panicker was called to perform the rituals. The mosque committee has yet not given any reaction on this.
