'Leave it to historians': Allahabad HC rejects petition to open Taj Mahal's 22 closed doors

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The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court rejected a petition that sought to open 22 closed rooms in Taj Mahal to ascertain whether there were any Hindu idols or not.  While rejecting the plea, the court said: "We are not sitting here to decide which subject should be researched. This matter is out of court and it should be left to historians."

A petition was been filed in the Allahabad High Court, seeking a fact-finding inquiry into the "history" of the Taj Mahal, and also opening of the doors of its "22 rooms" to see "the truth, whatever it is".

The writ petition was filed on Saturday in the registry of the Lucknow bench of the High Court by Rajneesh Singh, who is the media in-charge of the BJP's Ayodhya unit.

The petition came up before the court for a hearing after it is passed by the registry. "In the petition, I have demanded that the 22 doors of rooms of the monument which are closed should be opened to see the truth, whatever it is," Singh told PTI on Sunday.

The Mughal-era monument is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India. The petition has also sought to set aside certain provisions of The Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archeological Sites and Remains (Declaration of National Importance) Act 1951, and The Ancient Monuments and Archeological Sites and Remains Act 1958, under which the Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri, Agra Fort, Itimad-ud-Daulah's tomb were declared historical monuments.

Singh has filed the petition through his lawyers Ram Prakash Shukla and Rudra Vikram Singh. Several right-wing outfits have claimed in the past the Taj Mahal was a Lord Shiva temple.

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