Lagatar24 Desk
Lucknow, May 8: A petition filed in the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has sought directives to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to unlock 20 rooms inside the Taj Mahal in Agra to determine whether Hindu idols and inscriptions are hidden there.
Dr Rajneesh Singh, the media in-charge of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Ayodhya district, has submitted the petition, which has yet to be heard. The petitioner is represented in court by Rudra Vikram Singh, an advocate.
“There is an old controversy related to the Taj Mahal. Around 20 rooms in Taj Mahal are locked and no one is allowed to enter. It is believed that in these rooms there are idols of Hindu gods and scriptures,” said Dr Rajneesh Singh.
“I have filed a petition in high court seeking directives to ASI to open these rooms to ascertain facts. There is no harm in opening these rooms and setting to rest all controversies,” he added.
The petitioner has asked the court to order the state government to form a committee to inspect these rooms and check for any evidence of Hindu idols or scriptures.
Since 2020, Rajneesh Singh has been using the Right to Information Act to learn more about the Taj Mahal’s 20 closed rooms (RTI). Singh requested information about the rooms through an RTI with the Union Ministry of Culture in 2020.
