Lucknow bench of Allahabad HC rejects plea for opening 22 closed doors of Taj Mahal

NEW DELHI: The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court on Thursday rejected a petition seeking its directions to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for opening 22 closed doors of the world-famous monument Taj Mahal, which is located in the Agra district of Uttar Pradesh.

Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court rejects petition seeking to open 22 closed doors in Taj Mahal. pic.twitter.com/rEe3U65xwy — ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2022

A petition has been filed in the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court seeking directives to the Archaeological Survey of India to open 20 rooms inside the Taj Mahal in Agra to find out whether Hindu idols and inscriptions are hidden there.

Amid all this, BJP Lok Sabha MP from Rajsamand and Jaipur Royal scion Diya Kumari had claimed on Wednesday that the land on which Taj Mahal was built was owned by the erstwhile Jaipur Royal family.

She also claimed to have documents to prove that the land was originally owned by the Jaipur Royal family, which was later captured by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.

"When Shah Jahan took the land of the Jaipur Royal family, the latter could not oppose him because it was under his control at that time," Kumari said. "The Jaipur Raj Parivar Trust possesses the land records. If the court orders, then the Royal family will present the documents," the BJP MP told the media.

She added, "Even today if a government acquires any land, it gives compensation in return for it. Some kind of compensation was given at that time too, but there was no law to appeal against Shah Jahan or take any action against him. Now it is good that someone has raised their voice and filed a petition in the court."

Kumari said, "It is a good thing that someone has appealed to open the doors of the Taj Mahal so that the truth comes out. We are also examining the matter now." 
Earlier during the Ayodhya temple dispute, the Jaipur Royal family had claimed that they were descendants of Lord Ram.