Supreme Court dismisses plea to open rooms in Taj Mahal

The Supreme Court on Friday junked a plea seeking the opening of 22 rooms in the Taj Mahal to enquire into the monument’s history.

A bench of Justices MR Shah and MM Sundresh termed the plea a “publicity interest litigation”. The bench said, “The High Court was not in error in dismissing the petition, which is more of a publicity interest litigation”. Dismissed.”

The petition was filed by one Rajneesh Singh, who claimed to be the media in-charge of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Ayodhya unit, seeking a direction to the government to constitute a fact-finding committee and to look for important historical evidence like idols and inscriptions that are believed to be hidden inside the Taj Mahal on the orders of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The High Court dismissed his plea on 12 May.

He had contended that several Hindu right-wing outfits had claimed in the past that the Mughal-era mausoleum was a temple of Lord Shiva known as’ Tejo Mahalaya’, a theory that was supported by many historians as well.

He also said that there are 22 rooms situated in the upper and lower portions of the four-storied building of the Taj Mahal that are permanently locked, and historians like PN Oak and many Hindu worshippers believe that a Shiva temple lies in those rooms.