Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, May 24: The Saket court in Delhi has said that it will pronounce its verdict on the Qutub Minar matter on June 9. The parties involved have been given one week to file their written submissions.
The case concerns a petition demanding the restoration of Hindu and Jain temples in Delhi’s Qutub Minar complex that were allegedly razed hundreds of years ago. The petitioner also wants permission for worship at the complex.
The Qutub Minar issue emerged after ASI’s ex-regional director Dharamveer Sharma claimed that the Qutub Minar was built to study the direction of the sun by Hindu prince Raja Vikramaditya, not by Qutub al-Din Aibak.
It was also alleged that Hindu deity idols were discovered in the compound, and that the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque was constructed using materials salvaged from the demolition of 27 Hindu-Jain temples.
In court on Tuesday, the Archaeological Survey of India stated that there is no proof that the mosque in the Qutub Minar complex was built on top of a demolished structure. The ASI further stated that there is no evidence to show whether the iron pillar and alleged temple ruins were found in their original location or were transported in from elsewhere.
The ASI further said that the Qutub Minar was never used as a place of worship. Earlier, ASI also said that the Qutub Minar has been a protected monument since 1914 and its structure cannot be changed now.
