Indore, Jun 25 The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Thursday directed the Dhar district administration to hand over the keys of a disputed government-run Imambara (congregation hall) to a petitioner from the Muslim community within 24 hours for its use for five days.
The direction of the High Court's Indore bench came on petitions filed for the construction of tazias at the site during Muharram.
A division bench of Justices Subodh Abhyankar and Jai Kumar Pillai allowed the petitioners and their community to use the Imambara temporarily, saying no prejudice would be caused to the state government if they are accommodated for five days (till July 1).
An Imambara is a meeting place for the Muslim community, used exclusively for religious gatherings and mourning ceremonies during Muharram.
The bench, while granting interim relief to the petitioners, said, "It is directed to the concerned authority/SDO to handover the keys of Government Imambada, in Fort, Dhar district to petitioner/Siddique within a day's time. And the petitioner/Siddique is also directed that after completion of the programme of taziya, to handover the keys back to the SDO on 1/7/2026 positively at 12 in the noon."
The administration had handed over the government-run Imambara to the Public Works Department (PWD) in August 2025.
At the time, officials stated that this action was taken after a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) court declared the Imambara as a PWD property and the Tazia Committee's appeal over the action was rejected at the Divisional Commissioner level.
Siddiqui, one of the petitioners, has challenged this action by filing a writ petition in the High Court.
Another petition filed in the court seeks temporary permission to construct tazias at the Imambara for 70 days during Muharram each year and direction that the customary rent or temporary occupation charges be accepted.
Lawyers for the petitioners claimed that the tradition of constructing tazias at the Government Imambara in Dhar began during the princely era before India's independence.
During the arguments in the High Court, the state government strongly opposed the petitioners' arguments, stating that the Chhota Imambara and the Jamatkhana have been provided as alternative sites for the Muslim community to construct tazias.
Considering arguments and facts of both parties, the HC said, "In such circumstances, when the present petition is also pending in which the rights of the parties are still to be crystallized, and taking into account the undertaking given by counsel for the petitioners that Imambada shall be handed over to the respondents/concerned authority positively on 1/7/2026, we are inclined to allow the prayer for the interim relief by the petitioners.
"We are of the considered opinion that no prejudice would be caused to the state even if the petitioners and their community are accommodated for five days."
The bench insisted no alteration is to be made to the disputed property.
The court said, "It is made clear that while the disputed property remains in possession of the petitioners, no alteration by way of construction or removal of any part of the same shall be made by the petitioners and the property shall be handed over to the state in a clean state."
The bench also directed for video recording of the entire process and fixed July 22 for the next hearing of the case.
