The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to entertain a plea seeking the restoration of a 7-foot beheaded idol of Lord Vishnu at the Javari temple, part of the Khajuraho group of monuments in Madhya Pradesh. The case was filed under the title Rakesh Dalal v. Union of India.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih said that the matter did not fall under the jurisdiction of the Court but under that of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
CJI Gavai, addressing the petitioner, remarked, “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 etc. Sorry.”
Notably, these remarks came from CJI BR Gavai, a Neo-Buddhist whose father had embraced Buddhism alongside Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in 1956.
The plea was filed by Rakesh Dalal, who contended that the idol had been mutilated during Mughal invasions and has remained in that state despite multiple representations made to the government seeking its restoration.
The petition recounted the history of the Khajuraho temples, which were originally built by the Chandravanshi kings, and alleged that both colonial neglect and post-independence inaction had resulted in the idol remaining unrepaired even 77 years after independence.
Dalal further argued that the government’s refusal to restore the idol violated devotees’ fundamental right to worship. The petition highlighted the protests, memoranda, and campaigns regarding the temple, which it said had gone unanswered.
(With inputs from Bar and Bench)
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