The Allahabad High Court on Thursday dismissed the petition seeking direction to open the 22 closed doors of the historical monument, Taj Mahal also rejected the petition to conduct a survey of the Site.
The Division Bench headed by Justice DK Upadhyay and Justice Subhash Vidyarthi dismissed the petition filed by Dr Rajneesh Singh.
The Division Bench said that such a petition cannot be entertained, and the petitioner cannot form a fact-finding committee on this matter.
Further, the court said that “who are you to ask about the closed rooms?” The court reprimanded and said whether history will be read according to you. It is not right to make fun of the system of petitions.
The Bench told the Petitioner, “You Should Study First, Do MA (History) Enroll in Ph.D. and take up this topic and if any University refuses to assign you this topic, we will pass an order”.
The petitioner earlier filed a petition before the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court demanding the opening of 22 closed rooms in the Taj Mahal.
The petition said 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. Further, the petition said that such claims have created a situation where Hindus and Muslims are fighting among themselves and hence the dispute needs to be ended.
The petition sought a direction from the court to the government to constitute a fact-finding committee (Archeological Survey of India) to search for important historical evidence such as statues and inscriptions hidden inside the Taj Mahal.
Further, The petition states that the Taj Mahal was named after Mumtaz Mahal, the wife of Shah Jahan and in many books, the name of Shah Jahan’s wife was not described as Mumtaz ul Zamani but as Mumtaz Mahal. The Petition also states that the fact it took 22 years to complete the construction of the tomb is beyond reality and completely absurd.
Further, The Petition said in many history books that in 1212 AD King Parmardi Dev built Tejo Mahalaya Mandir Mahal (presently known as the Taj Mahal). Later the temple was inherited by Raja Man Singh the Maharaja of Jaipur. Subsequently, the temple was possed and managed by Raja Jai Singh. But in Mughal Era, it was captured by Shah Jahan in 1632 and was converted into a monument for Shah Jahan’s wife.
The Petitioner further submitted that the Taj Mahal has a total of 22 rooms in the upper and lower part of the four-story building, which are permanently closed. Many Hindu worshipers and historians like PN Oak believe that the rooms contain the Lord Shiva temple and some ancient scriptings and statues.
The Petitioner further emphasized that crores of rupees are being invested in the conservation of the monument and complete historical facts about the monument should be disclosed to the public.
Accordingly, the Lucknow Bench has dismissed the petition.
