On November 27th, a court in Rajasthan issued notice in a case that alleges that a Hindu temple existed under the revered Khwaja Moinnudin Chishti Dargah in Ajmer. So what is the plea? Who have the notices been sent to?
Was the Ajmer Dargah a Hindu temple? What is the court plea about it?
The petitioner’s counsellor has referred to a book called ‘Ajmer: Historical and Descriptive’ by retired judge Harvilas Sharda. According to the book, debris from a Hindu temple were used in building the Dargah.
The book says that the Dargah’s basement housed a Shiva Lingam. It also talks about the remains of a Jain temple.
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What is the legal case admitted by the court?
A Hindu group called Hindu Sena has filed a plea requesting for worshipping rights to the alleged temple. The case was filed in September by Vishnu Gupta who is the national President of the group.
The Hindu group has filed a plea requesting for worshipping rights.
The court has issued notices to the three organisations. These include the Union Ministry of minority Affairs, The Ajmer Dargah Committee, and the Archaeological Survey Of India.
How did the Dargah Committee respond to the plea?
The secretary of the Anjuman Committee questioned the point of pursuing the matter. He said that they have been serving there for 800 years. He also said that the Dargah belongs to Sufi saint Khawaja Garib Nawaz.
Which are the other religious places that are subjects of litigation?
Many other religious places are also facing court cases. The most notable include one that has triggered the present tensions in Sambhal. A civil court has directed the advocate commissioner to conduct a survey on the Shahi Jama Masjid.
Similar cases are going on in Varanasi and Mathura. Hindu groups believe that temples were teared down to build the Gyanvapi Masjid. In Mathura too, Hindu temples have been alleged to have broken down to construct the Shahi Eidgah.
