Will UK Hindu temple complex give way to a mosque? Verdict today

The future of one of the UK's oldest Hindu temples hangs in the balance. The UK High Court on Thursday is set to hear the concluding arguments in the legal battle over the sale of the complex that houses the 40-year-old Bharat Hindu Samaj (BHS) temple in Peterborough, 120 km north of London. The verdict is expected after the hearing, which begins at 11 am UK time (3.30 pm Indian Standard Time).

The case centres on Peterborough City Council's decision to sell the New England Complex, home to the 40-year-old Bharat Hindu Samaj temple, to the United Kingdom Islamic Mission (UKIM), which plans to redevelop the site into a mosque and Islamic centre. The temple trust has challenged the decision through a judicial review, arguing that the sale was unlawful and discriminatory.

Speaking to India Today TV ahead of the hearing, temple trustee Gauri Chaudhary said the case goes beyond preserving a place of worship.

"It's not just merely a place of faith and worship. It's a community centre and a major community hub in the city and the surroundings for all the Hindus around there," Chaudhary said, adding that "more than 18,000 devotees are served by the temple". She added that there was no other Hindu temple within a 50-60 km radius.

She said the trust has challenged the council's decision on multiple legal grounds.

"There are five claims that we have put forward in front of the UK High Court," Chaudhary said. "The process was not being followed correctly. The BAFO (Best and Final Offer) process was put forward even before a consultation with the community."

According to Chaudhary, the trust argues that the council failed to assess how the sale would affect the Hindu community and also did not properly consider its obligations under the UK's Equality Act.

"Nobody from the Peterborough City Council has ever come to the trust to ask how this sale of the site, the temple and the community centre would affect us," she said.

While declining to elaborate on some of the remaining legal arguments because the hearing is still underway, Chaudhary said the dispute ultimately concerns "Peterborough City Council not considering and marginalising the Hindu community within the city where we have no other place to go to."

Peterborough City Council, led by Labour Party leader Shabina Qayyum, decided to sell the complex, formerly a school building, as part of efforts to reduce its nearly 500 million pound debt burden, according to reports.

PETERBOROUGH HINDU TEMPLE FOUNDED BY INDIAN FAMILIES EXPELLED FROM UGANDA

Founded by families expelled from Uganda by dictator Idi Amin in 1972, the Bharat Hindu Samaj (BHS) temple in Peterborough serves nearly 18,000 Hindus across Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Lincolnshire. Its adjoining community centre hosts a range of activities, including badminton and table tennis clubs, yoga classes, Gujarati and Hindi lessons, health programmes, and a lunch club for senior citizens.

BHS Temple trustees, who had been negotiating with the council for 14 years to purchase the complex, submitted an offer of 1.3 million pounds. However, they said they were later informed that the property had been placed on the open market and that a bidder had already been selected — the Khadijah Mosque, part of the United Kingdom Islamic Mission (UKIM), a UK-registered charity.

Trustees have argued that the temple is the only Hindu place of worship within roughly a 50–60 km radius and serves the Hindu community not just in Peterborough but across several surrounding counties, while several mosques already serve the city.

The Peterborough City Council had put the complex housing the temple up for sale back in 2025 as part of a plan to reduce the Council's 500 million pound debt burden.

According to a report in the UK-based newspaper, The Telegraph, The Khadijah Mosque, which won the bid for the complex, stated it planned to use the New England Complex for a new "unity centre" – an "inclusive" facility designed to house prayer spaces, classrooms, and sports and recreation activities.

Peterborough City Council, however, maintains that it lawfully accepted a higher financial offer from UKIM and has argued before the High Court that the decision was not unlawful. The council has also said it explored alternative premises for the Hindu community and remains committed to finding the temple a new home.

Members of the Hindu community are expected to gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London during Thursday's hearing as they await a ruling that could determine the future of Peterborough's only Hindu temple.

- Ends