Jaipur, Dec 20, 2024
The second hearing concerning the claim of a temple within the premises of Ajmer Dargah was conducted on Friday in Ajmer Civil Court. After arguments from both sides, the court scheduled the next hearing for January 24.
The case was initiated by Vishnu Gupta, National President of the Hindu Sena, who filed a petition claiming the existence of a temple at the dargah. Following this, the Ajmer Civil Court issued notices to the Ministry of Minority Affairs, the Dargah Committee Ajmer, and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), and announced December 20 as the date of hearing.
During Friday’s hearing, five individuals, including representatives from the Anjuman Committee, Dargah Diwan, and others, applied to become parties in the case. Lawyer Ashok Mathur, representing the Dargah Committee, filed a petition seeking dismissal of the case. Meanwhile, lawyers from both sides presented their arguments before the court, with tight security in place around the premises.
Petitioner Vishnu Gupta arrived at the court around 11:30 a.m., followed by his lawyer Varun Kumar Sinha, who argued that additional parties should not be unnecessarily included in the case. He also objected to the sharing of copies of the document and presented two historical books — The Prithviraj Vijay and The Ajmer Historical Descriptive — as evidence.
The Anjuman Committee’s lawyer, Ashish Kumar Singh, cited a Supreme Court ruling, arguing that the claim could not proceed until the Supreme Court delivers its judgment on a related matter. Meanwhile, Nasruddin Ali, son of Dargah Diwan, also filed an application to be included as a party, asserting his family’s status as descendants of Khwaja Saheb.
Vishnu Gupta highlighted the debate surrounding the Worship Act during the hearing. According to Gupta’s lawyer, the Dargah does not fall under the purview of the Worship Act. Gupta also advocated for the approval of an ASI survey application, expressing hope that the court’s decision would favour uncovering the historical truth.
Earlier, Vishnu Gupta had claimed that the Ajmer Dargah is built on the site of Sankat Mochan Mahadev temple and does not fall under the scope of the Worship Act, which applies to temples, mosques, and churches.
He presented excerpts from the 1250 AD book Prithviraj Vijay as evidence and pointed out references in Ajmer: Historical and Descriptive, a book written in 1911 by retired judge Harbilas Sarda, which claims that debris from a temple was used in constructing the dargah.
The Ajmer Civil Court initially accepted the petition on November 27, determining it worthy of a hearing. Notices were issued to relevant parties, and the first hearing took place on December 20. The matter continues to attract significant attention due to its historical and religious implications.(Agency)
