India, May 16 -- The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday declared the disputed Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Dhar as a temple of Goddess Saraswati, ruling that the statutory freeze imposed by the Places of Worship Act, 1991 would not apply to it since it is a protected ancient monument governed by a different law.

While deciding the character of the structure, the high court held that the 1991 law applies only to suits and bars alteration in the religious character of any place of worship. In the present case, since the HC was deciding writ petitions seeking enforcement of fundamental rights of citizens under Article 226 of the Constitution, the ruling held that the constitutional power of the high court cannot be overri...