Jaipur: The civil court hearing regarding the claim that a Shiva temple exists within the Ajmer Dargah premises has been postponed to August 30, due to the judicial officer’s leave and a mass leave observed by court staff, reported the Siasat.
The petition was filed by Vishnu Gupta, National President of the Hindu Sena, who claims to possess an ancient Sanskrit manuscript titled Prithviraj Vijay (1250 AD), which allegedly proves the existence of a Shiva temple in Ajmer before the construction of the dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chishti.
In anticipation of the sensitive case, additional police forces were deployed at the court premises and near the Civil Lines Police Station. Advocate Yogendra Ojha confirmed that the Dargah Committee and the Minority Affairs Department had already submitted their counter-applications, which will now be debated in the next hearing.
Gupta seeks uninterrupted worship at the so-called Sankat Mochan Shiva Temple inside the Dargah complex and contends that the Places of Worship Act does not apply to Ajmer Dargah since it is allegedly an “authorised religious place.” He also intends to present a Hindi translation of the Prithviraj Vijay text in court.
Lawyers for the Dargah Committee and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) argued that Gupta failed to follow proper legal protocol before filing the petition. The court had accepted Gupta’s plea on November 27, 2024, and issued notices to the Ministry of Minority Affairs, ASI, and the Dargah Committee.
Several stakeholders, including the Anjuman Committee, Dargah Diwan Ghulam Dastagir, A. Imran from Bangalore, and Raj Jain from Punjab, have applied to become parties in the case.
Gupta also cited a 1911 book titled Ajmer: Historical and Descriptive by retired judge Harbilas Sarda, which claims temple debris was used in the Dargah’s construction and alleges that a Jain temple once stood at the site.
Due to security concerns, Gupta has been given police protection under the direction of SP Vandita Rana.
