Ajmer: A local court in Rajasthan has issued a notice following a lawsuit by Hindutva groups alleging the existence of a Hindu temple beneath the Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti shrine here. The groups are seeking the right to worship at the site.
The case, titled “Vishnu Gupta vs. Dargah Committee,” was filed in September by Vishnu Gupta, national president of the Hindu Sena. Civil Judge Manmohan Chandel presided over the hearing on Wednesday, as reported by the Hindustan Times.
The court has issued notices to the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs, Ajmer Dargah Committee, and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which has been named as respondents. The next hearing is scheduled for December 20.
The petitioner’s counsel, Ramswaroop Bishnoi, referenced a 1911 book titled “Ajmer: Historical and Descriptive” by retired judge Harvilas Sharda. The book claims that remnants of a Hindu temple were used in constructing the dargah. It also mentions a sanctum or basement allegedly housing a Shiva Lingam, which was once worshipped by a Brahmin family. Additionally, the book highlights elements of Jain temple architecture integrated into the dargah’s structure, including its 75-foot-tall Buland Darwaza.
Syed Sarwar Chishti, secretary of Anjuman Committee, dismissed the claims as irrelevant and counterproductive. He referred to the Places of Worship Act, 1991, which upholds the status of religious sites as they were in 1947, barring the Babri Masjid case.
“We have served this dargah for over 800 years across various historical eras, and such issues have never arisen before. This is not in the nation’s best interest. The dargah is and will remain dedicated to Khwaja Garib Nawaz,” Chishti stated.
He also questioned the court’s decision to involve ASI, asserting that the agency has no jurisdiction over the shrine, which falls under the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
This case comes amid rising tensions in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal district, where a civil court’s directive to survey the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid resulted in clashes that claimed four lives. Hindu groups in Sambhal have similarly alleged that the mosque was built over a demolished Hindu temple in 1529.
