New Delhi: Delhi’s Saket Court heard a plea regarding the restoration of 27 Hindu and Jain temples in the Qutub Minar complex in Mehrauli on Tuesday. The court reserved the order on the restoration of Hindu and Jain idols for Juen 9, news agency ANI reported.
An appeal was filed in the court stating that the Quwwat-ul-Islam situated in the Qutub Minar complex was built in place of a temple complex. The court asked the petitioner, "what do you think it's a monument or place of worship? Which legal right entitles you to convert a monument into a place of worship?" ANI reported.
Responding to the plea, the Archeological Survey (ASI) of India said that there is no provision for offering prayers at a monument under the AMASR Act of 1958. ASI opposed the plea stating that Qutub Minar is a monument and no one can claim fundamental right over such a structure and no right to worship can be granted at this place.
According to a report by ANI, the ASI submitted its response saying, "There is no provision under AMASR Act 1958 under which worship can be started at any living monument. Hon'ble High court of Delhi has clearly mentioned in its order dated 27/01/1999."
According to a report by news agency PTI, an official said that the Culture Ministry is considering conducting an iconography of the Hindu and Jain idols found in the Qutub Minar complex. He also added that there were no plans to excavate the site or stop any religious practices.
The comments came a day after the Chairperson of the National Monument Authority Tarun Vijay wrote to the ASI requesting that two Ganesha idols found in the adjoining Quwwat-ul--Islam mosque be moved out of the complex "owing to their disrespectful placement.”
The official had also said that the ministry was discussing if some of these idols can be displayed and labelled given that the mosque was built from the stones from temples, so such idols could be seen anywhere.
However, there was no intention of reinstating or relocating the idols as of now, the official added.
This came after a controversy broke out over reports that the ministry has ordered the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct excavations at the Qutub Minar complex. The reports were, however, denied by Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy.
Senior officials had told PTI that religious practices are allowed on the premises of ASI-protected sites only if they were functioning places of worship at the time it took charge of them.
As per the officials, no plea has been filed by the ASI to stop prayers at the site.