Delhi court to hear plea for restoration of Hindu, Jain deities at Qutub complex

A Delhi court will on Tuesday hear a plea seeking restoration of Hindu and Jain deities and the right to worship inside the Qutub Minar complex in New Delhi’s Mehrauli.

A suit in this regard was filed on behalf of Jain deity Tirthankar Lord Rishabh Dev and Hindu deity Lord Vishnu through advocates Hari Shankar Jain and Ranjana Agnihotri. It cited a short history displayed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at the site narrating how 27 temples were demolished by Qutubdin Aibak, a general in the army of Mohamad Gauri, and Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque was raised inside the complex by reusing the material.

The suit claimed that Qutub Minar premises has “clear pictures of Hindu Gods and deities like Shri Ganesh, Vishnu and Yaksha” and several symbols like kalash and sacred lotus, along with temple wells, which suggest a “Hindu origin of the building”.

“There existed huge and lofty Hindu and Jain temples of Lord Vishnu and Lord Rishabh Dev as presiding deities along with Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesh, God Sun, and Goddess Gauri and Jain Tirthankars along with constellations, within the precincts of Dhruv/Meru Dhwaj/Meru Tower now termed as Qutub Minar/Qutub Tower,” the suit said.

The petitioner urged the court to issue an injunction to the Centre to create a trust, as per the Indian Trusts Act, 1882, and hand over the management and administration of the temple complex after forming a scheme for the same to such trust

On April 18, the court directed ASI not to remove two idols of Lord Ganesha from the Qutub Minar complex till further directions after the plaintiff filed an application stating his apprehension that the idols may be removed by ASI.

The two idols are located in the compound of the 12th-century monument, which was designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993.

ASI’s lawyer said that the apprehensions of the appellant were misplaced as the agency was not contemplating any removal or shifting of the idols as of now. Shifting of the idols would involve various permissions from different agencies, and have national implications as it would amount to a policy decision, the ASI said.

Following this, the court ordered status quo till further orders.