The Supreme Court on Friday declined to interfere with the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s decision and upheld the demolition of the 200-year-old Takiya Masjid in Ujjain, rejecting a plea by worshippers who had challenged the state government’s action and requested that the mosque be rebuilt.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said it did not find any fault in the High Court’s order and added that the petitioners were free to use the legal options available to them, including seeking compensation if it was due.

“This is a case that warrants immediate intervention,” senior advocate MR Shamshad, representing the petitioners, urged as he argued that the mosque was brought down to create space for a parking area linked to the nearby Mahakaleshwar Temple.

He disagreed with the High Court’s view that the right to practice religion was not connected to any specific place. He told the court that the mosque had been a registered Waqf property since 1985 and had continued to serve as a place of worship until its demolition.

However, the bench refused to revisit the case. “No, the high court has given sound reasoning that compensation shall be paid, if warranted. There is nothing in it. You have your remedies under the law.” With this, the petition was dismissed at the outset.

The plea before the Supreme Court was filed by 13 residents of Ujjain who said they regularly offered namaz at Takiya Masjid. They argued that the mosque, which was officially notified as a Waqf property in 1985 and actively used for worship, was demolished “illegally and arbitrarily” in January despite the protection granted by law.

The petition also alleged violations of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, the Waqf Act, and the land acquisition law related to compensation and rehabilitation. It further claimed that compensation was wrongly given to encroachers to “create a false case of acquisition”.

The High Court had dismissed these claims, saying that the mosque and the land on which it stood were legally acquired for the expansion of the Mahakal Lok complex, a redevelopment project connected to the Mahakaleshwar Temple, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas.

It also referred to earlier court rulings to explain that the right to practice religion was not tied to any one place of worship and that land acquisition did not violate Article 25 as long as people were still free to practise their faith. The court noted that the compensation process had been carried out by the land acquisition officer for those found eligible.

While dismissing the appeal on Friday, the Supreme Court said it would not look into any new facts or question the legality of the acquisition. It stated that the petitioners could still pursue remedies available under the law if they wanted compensation. For now, the demolition stands, and the site continues to be part of the ongoing redevelopment and parking expansion project near the Mahakaleshwar Temple.