A petition filed in the Indian High Court on November 2 by Surjit Singh Yadav, the president of the Hindu Sena, claims that the Taj Mahal wasn’t built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan.
According to India Today, Yadav asserted that the monument was originally the palace of Raja Man Singh which was refurbished by the Mughals, hence there is no mention of his name in Shah Jehan’s books.
“Further, the book titled Taj Museum mentions that the dead body of Mumtaz Mahal was interred under a temporary domed structure within the land premises of Raja Jai Singh. It is pertinent to mention that there is no account which states that the mansion of Raja Man Singh was demolished to construct Taj Mahal,” the petition explained.
Yadav urged the Archeological Survey of India (ASI), the Central government, the National Archives of India and the Uttar Pradesh Government to correct “historically inaccurate facts” related to the history behind Taj Mahal’s construction. Yadav further said he had done an indepth study of Taj Mahal. He felt it was necessary to fix historical inaccuracies in order to provide accurate information to the public.
On Friday, the Delhi High Court directed the ASI to examine the representation.
In 2022, the Supreme Court of India rejected a plea filed by Yadav where he claimed there were “wrong historical facts” regarding the construction of the Taj Mahal.
“What kind of PIL is this,” the bench responded according to The Wire. “The PILs are not meant for fishing enquiry. We are not here to reopen history. Let history continue. The writ petition is dismissed as withdrawn. The petitioner is granted liberty to make representation to the ASI. We have not expressed any merits on the same.”
