Taj Mahal Petition: Notices Issued to Centre and ASI

A petition has been filed in the Allahabad High Court seeking the appointment of an Advocate Commissioner to inspect and conduct videography of the Taj Mahal in Agra. The plea claims that the monument was originally a Shiva temple and calls for evidence collection to support the assertion. Taking up the matter, the court has issued notices to the Central Government and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

The petition also refers to an already pending case in the court, which claims that a Shiva temple named “Tejo Mahalaya” once existed at the site of the Taj Mahal. Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal’s bench on Monday directed the Centre and ASI to file their responses on these petitions.