Lucknow: The Allahabad High Court hearing the petition seeking an enquiry into the history of the Taj Mahal dismissed the plea which asked to open the doors of its 22 rooms to see ‘the truth’.
The Lucknow Bench of the High Court pulled up the petitioner Dr Rajneesh Singh, who claims to be the media in charge of the BJP Ayodhya unit and asked him not to misuse the PIL system. Justice DK Upadhayay asked the petitioner to do proper research about the Taj Mahal before coming to the court. “Tomorrow you will ask for permission to see our chambers. Please, don’t make a mockery of the PIL system,” the bench said during the hearing.
The petition was filed last week before the Lucknow Bench of the HC, seeking direction from the government to constitute a fact-finding committee and “search for important historical evidence” such as statues and inscriptions hidden inside the Taj Mahal on the orders of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
The petition, filed through advocate Rudra Vikram Singh, argued that several Hindu groups are claiming that the Taj Mahal is an old Shiva temple known as ‘Tejo Mahalaya’ and this is also supported by several historians. “Some Hindu groups and reputable Sants are claiming this monument as old Shiv temple supported by many historians and facts however many Historians believe it as Taj Mahal was built-up by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan. Some people also believe that Tejo Mahalaya @ Taj Mahal appears to be one of the Jyotirling i.e. the outstanding Siva Temples,” the plea stated.