Qutub Minar not a place of worship, ASI opposes plea

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Tuesday opposed a plea before a Delhi Court seeking restoration of Hindu and Jain deities inside the Qutub Minar complex, saying that it is not a place of worship and the existing status of the monument cannot be altered. The ASI also said the fundamental right of the applicant cannot be availed in violation of the existing status of the land.

It said the Qutub Minar has been a protected monument since 1914 and its structure cannot be changed now. “The revival of worship cannot be allowed at a monument where such a practice was not prevalent at the time of it being granted the ‘protected’ status,” the ASI said.

Taking note of the ASI’s submission that “the Qutub Minar is not a place of worship and that the existing status of the monument cannot be altered”, additional district judge Nikhil Chopra reserved the order on the plea for June 9.

The court reserved the order on a suit filed by advocate Hari Shankar Jain on behalf of Jain deity Tirthankar Lord Rishabh Dev, claiming that 27 temples were partly demolished by Qutubudin Aibak, a general in the army of Mohammad Gauri, and the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque was raised inside the complex by reusing the material.

The ASI said the plea by the Hindu petitioners was not maintainable legally. “The destruction of old temples to build the Qutub Minar complex is a matter of historical fact. The Qutub Minar complex is a living monument that has been protected since 1914. No one has the right to worship on the complex.”

Jain said that there were two idols of Lord Ganesha situated on the premises since times immemorial, and that he feared that the ASI was likely to remove them to one of the National Museums as mere artifacts.