Plea in Delhi court claims Qutub Minar complex housed "27 lofty Hindu, Jain temples", seeks restoration of deities, worship rights

A suit has been filed before a civil court in Delhi claiming that the Qutub complex in south Delhi which houses the famous minaret, Qutub Minar was originally a complex of twenty-seven "lofty" Hindu and Jain temples before they were destroyed in the 12th century by Qutb-ud-din Aibak who erected the present structures. .The suit filed on behalf of deities Lord Vishnu and Lord Rishabh Dev through their next friend advocates Hari Shankar Jain and Ranjana Agnihotri has sought restoration of deities within the complex and the right to do puja and darshan of the deities. The plaintiffs have also prayed for creation of a trust to manage the puja, worship and maintenance of the property.."Decree the suit declaring that Principal Deity Tirthankar Lord Rishabh Dev and Principal Deity Lord Vishnu, along with Lord Ganesh, Lord Shiva, Goddess Gauri, God Sun, Lord Hanuman including presiding deities of 27 temples, have right to be restored and worshiped with rites & rituals, performance of regular pooja within the temple complex situated in the area of Qutub Complex in Mehruli, District South West Delhi," the suit has prayed..The suit has also prayed that the Central government (Ministry of Culture) and the Archaeological Survey of India be permanently restrained from interfering with necessary repair works, raising construction and making arrangement for pooja, darshan and worship of deities. .The suit filed before Civil Judge, Senior Division, Saket District Court through advocates Hari Shankar Jain and Ranjana Agnihotri states that Delhi was ruled by celebrated Hindu Kings until 1192 AD when Ghurid emperor, Mohammed Ghori defeated King Prithviraj Chauhan in the battle in 1192 AD. "Thereafter, Qutubdin Aibak a commander of Mohammed Gauri dismantled/ destroyed Shree Vishnu Hari temple and 27 Jain and Hindu temples along with constellations with respective deities and raised some inner constructions within the temple complex. The temple complex was renamed as ‘Quwwat-Ul Islam Mosque’, in Arabic language which means ‘Might of Islam’," it has been submitted. .The complex, situated at Mehrauli, was declared to be a ‘Protected Monument’ by the government in 1914 in exercise of the powers under Section 3 of Ancient Monuments Preservation Act, 1904.."With a view to preserve and protect the religious and cultural heritage of India, and to exercise the right to religion guaranteed by Article 25 and 26 of Constitution of India," the plaintiffs have sought restoration of the 27 Hindu and Jain temples..It has been further alleged that since only partial demolition was carried out and the material from the temples was reused to erect the ‘alleged Mosque’, the walls, pillars and roof of the existing building contain images of Hindu Gods, Goddesses and symbols. ."The Structural inner and outer outlook of the building complex symbolizes with ancient Hindu and Jain temple Architecture. The corridor is completely of vedic style having rectangular galleries with holy symbol engraved pillars. The invader had dismantled and defaced the idols only to degrade Hindu deities and demoralizes the worshipers," the suit reads..Further, the plaintiffs have pointed out that Section 16 of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 permits continued worship in protected monuments which may be in consonance with the character of the building..Moreover, the plea has also placed reliance on the Ayodhya judgment of the Supreme Court stating that the top court in that judgment held that a worshipper has a right to institute a suit to recover the property of a idol..One year since the Ayodhya Judgment: The events that have followed the Supreme Court's landmark verdict