Supreme Court dismisses plea to open rooms in Taj Mahal

The Supreme Court of India dismissed a PIL seeking to unlock the rooms of the Taj Mahal, saying that this is merely a public interest petition. A bench comprising Justice MR Shah and MM Sundresh upheld the order of the Allahabad High Court.

The petition was filed by a BJP leader named Dr Rajneesh Singh, who claimed that the Taj Mahal is a Shiva Temple built by Raja Jay Singh as Tejo Mahalaya, rather than a mosque.The petitioner sought a direction to the government to constitute a fact-finding committee for the verification of important historical evidence.

The petitioner said that some idols and inscriptions are believed to be hidden inside the Taj Mahal on the orders of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan.

Right-wingers claim that the history of the Taj Mahal taught in schools is false.So the locked rooms of the monuments should be open for study to put reality before the masses.

The Supreme Court bench has said that the Allahabad High Court was not in error in dismissing the petition, which is more of a publicity interest litigation 

The petitioner had argued before the Allahabad High Court that many Hindu groups have been claiming that the Taj Mahal is an old Shiva Temple, which was known as Tejo Mahalaya, a theory that was supported by many historians as well.

It was contended that these claims have led to a situation where Hindus and Muslims are fighting with each other, and therefore the controversy needs to be put to rest.

Petitioner Dr. Rajneesh Singh stated 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. Historians such as PN Oak included strong evidence of the Shiva Temple in his book.