New Delhi: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Saturday termed the recent Madhya Pradesh High Court judgment in the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque dispute “unfortunate” and warned that it could have implications for the secular fabric of the country.
In a statement issued by its Politburo, the CPI(M) expressed “grave concern” over the ruling, which set aside an earlier order of the Archaeological Survey of India allowing Muslims the right to pray in the disputed complex.
In its ruling on Friday, the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court held that the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex is a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati.
It also quashed the April 7, 2003, order of the ASI, which allowed Muslims to pray in the premises every Friday.
The Left party argued that the judgment cannot be viewed in isolation from the growing trend of historical and religious disputes increasingly being reopened and adjudicated in ways that risk deepening communal divisions.
The CPI(M) also contended that the ruling appeared to overlook the provisions of the Places of Worship Act, 1991, which was enacted to preserve the religious character of places of worship as they existed at the time of Independence and to prevent fresh communal disputes.
According to the party, the high court verdict was “in complete contravention” of the law and would only strengthen “communal forces like the BJP-RSS combine,” which it accused of foregrounding divisive religious issues while diverting attention from economic and social concerns.
The party said it hoped that the Supreme Court, which is expected to hear appeals in the matter, would set aside the judgement.
Calling communalism a “grave threat to national unity and democratic life,” the CPI(M) urged the judiciary to “uphold secular constitutional principles” and appealed to secular and democratic forces to resist attempts to divide people along religious lines.
