The dispute over Bharuch’s historic Jami Masjid has reached the Gujarat High Court, with five local petitioners seeking immediate protection for a Jain idol they say was found in the mosque complex and permission to worship it. The court heard submissions from the petitioners, the Gujarat government and the Bharuch district collector before adjourning further proceedings to 9 October.
The petitioners, including Harishankar Jain and Rahul Diwan, have made the Union government, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the Gujarat government and the Jami Masjid management committee parties to the case. Their plea concerns an idol identified by them as that of Lord Mallinath, the 19th Tirthankara of Jainism.
According to the report by Divya Bhaskar, the petitioners’ lawyer told the court that the Jami Masjid has been an ASI-protected monument since 1909 and is recognised as a monument of national importance under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958. The lawyer argued that the law does not permit changes to the original character of a protected monument and requested urgent directions to secure the idol, which is considered sacred by the Jain community.
The state government and the Bharuch collector also made submissions before the court. The report said the state’s position was that there appeared to be substance in the petitioners’ arguments. The court took note of the submissions from all parties and deferred the matter for further hearing on 9 October. The report does not specify that the court has granted permission for worship or issued a final ruling on the status of the idol.
The dispute began earlier this year after the idol was reportedly found during an inspection of the basement of the Jami Masjid. The mosque is described in the report as a 14th-century structure built during the period of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq. The discovery was followed by a rally involving members of the local Hindu and Jain communities.
The ASI had previously asked the Bharuch collector to ensure heightened security at the monument to prevent any untoward incident, the report said. The request places responsibility for protecting the site within the wider administrative challenge of managing a legally protected monument amid competing religious claims and public mobilisation.
The dispute has also drawn attention outside Bharuch. Divya Bhaskar reported that former Pakistan high commissioner Abdul Basit referred to the matter in a podcast while discussing other religious-site disputes in India. The report also noted that Jain representatives had visited the mosque and described the location as a place of faith, while seeking that it be returned for religious use.
The next hearing will determine how the Gujarat High Court proceeds with the petition involving the idol, the protected status of the Jami Masjid and the responsibilities of the authorities and mosque management committee. Until then, the case remains before the court and no final determination on the competing claims has been reported.
