Guwahati: A petition seeking a court-monitored survey of the Taj Mahal complex in connection with claims that it was originally the ‘Tejo Mahalaya’ temple has moved forward after the Allahabad High Court sought responses from the Centre and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal directed the Union government and the ASI to file their counter-affidavits and also issued notice to respondent Pankaj Kumar Verma while hearing the matter.
The case originates from a civil suit filed in the Agra court in 2015 by representatives of the ‘Lord Shri Agreshwar Mahadev Nagnatheshwar Virajman Tejo Mahalaya Temple’, who are seeking a declaration that the Taj Mahal complex is a temple.
As part of the proceedings, the petitioners requested the appointment of an Advocate Commissioner to inspect the monument, conduct a scientific survey and photograph the premises to help determine the structure’s historical character.
The application was rejected by the trial court, and the Additional District Judge subsequently dismissed the revision petition, holding that it was not maintainable.
Senior advocate Hari Shankar Jain, appearing for the petitioners through video conference, argued that the lower courts had wrongly refused the request.
He submitted that scientific examination and photographic documentation of the site were necessary for the dispute to be decided fairly.
The High Court will now consider the matter after receiving the responses from the Union government and the ASI, with the latest order paving the way for further proceedings on the petition seeking a survey of the monument.