Hindu Sena's Claim Over Temple at Ajmer Sharif: Legal Confrontation Heats Up Amidst Religious Tensions
The legal controversy surrounding the Ajmer Sharif Dargah site has taken a dramatic turn as Hindu Sena claimed that before the revered Sufi shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti was established, there existed a Shiva temple at the location. The lawsuit has been filed by Vishnu Gupta, national president of Hindu Sena. It has brought the Ajmer Dargah under intense scrutiny and religious and political tensions have also escalated.
The 38-page lawsuit filed in Rajasthan asserts that a Shiva temple once stood at the site now housing the Ajmer Sharif Dargah. The lawsuit claims that there are various historical references and evidence that indicate the presence of the temple before the dargah was constructed. This case is being likened to other high-profile religious disputes in India, such as the Gyanvapi and Mathura temple cases.
Syed Sarwar Chisty, secretary of the Anjuman Moinia Fakhia, the management body of the dargah, has strongly repudiated these claims by describing them as baseless and hurtful to India's communal harmony. He reiterated that the dargah was a place of holy sanctity for Muslims and that such claims could prove instigative. In such a scenario, a court case filed by Hindu Sena is just one of a multitude of controversies that are moulding religious and legal landscapes in India around places of worship.
The Ajmer Sharif Dargah controversy is not isolated. Similar controversies have sparked violence and legal battles in other parts of the country. In Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal, claims were made that a mosque was built over an ancient Hindu temple, resulting in violence following a court order for a survey. These disputes have enormous political implications as leaders from BJP have welcomed the lawsuit while opposition figures, among whom is Asaduddin Owaisi, have condemned such actions of trying to break India's secular texture.
This long-drawn litigation may have far-reaching effects on India's Places of Worship Act, 1991, which seeks to retain the religious character of places of worship as existing on August 15, 1947. Activists and politicians alike are demanding intervention by the Supreme Court in such disputes to settle it and protect the country's communal harmony.
The situation is very tense during the lawsuit as it draws considerable attention from political leaders, religious groups, and law experts. Its further hearings, including the next set for December 20, 2024, are believed to be pivotal for taking this complicated and contentious matter forward.
