GG News Bureau
News Delhi, 16th Sept: The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to entertain a petition seeking restoration of a seven-foot beheaded idol of Lord Vishnu at the Javari temple, part of the UNESCO-listed Khajuraho group of monuments in Madhya Pradesh.
A Bench of Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih said the issue falls under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), not the court.
“Go and ask the deity itself to do something now. You say you are a staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu. So go and pray now. It’s an archaeological site and ASI needs to give permission,” Chief Justice Gavai told petitioner Rakesh Dalal.
Dalal had claimed the idol was mutilated during Mughal invasions and remains unrestored despite decades of appeals to the government. He argued that the inaction violates devotees’ fundamental right to worship.
The petition detailed the temple’s Chandravanshi heritage and accused both colonial authorities and post-Independence administrations of neglecting the monument. The court, however, directed that any request for restoration must be addressed to the ASI.
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