Petition claims presence of Hindu temple in Ajmer dargah, court issues notices | Latest News India

An Ajmer court on Wednesday ordered the issuance of notices to three parties in a petition that claimed there is a Shiva temple inside Saint Moinuddin Chishti’s dargah.

The civil suit was filed in September. It sought directions regarding Hindu worship inside the dargah. The petitioner’s lawyer, Advocate Yogesh Siroja, told reporters in Ajmer that the suit was heard in the court of civil judge Manmohan Chandel.

He said notices have been issued to the Ajmer Dargah Committee, the Ministry of Minority Affairs and the Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) office in the national capital, reported PTI.

The plaintiff Vishnu Gupta told the agnecy that he demanded that the Ajmer Dargah be declared Sankat Mochan Mahadev Temple and Hindus be given the right to worship inside the premises.

“Our demand was that the Ajmer dargah should be declared as Sankat Mochan Mahadev Temple and if the dargah has any kind of registration, then it should be cancelled. Its survey should be done through ASI and Hindus should be given the right to worship there,” he said.

The court has fixed the next hearing on December 20.

Anjuman committee secretary Syed Sarwar Chishti claimed the petition was part of a conspiracy that began three years ago.

“This is an agenda, and (plaintiff) Vishnu Gupta is just a fish in the pond and this is a conspiracy which began three years ago. (Ajmer) Dargah is a place where people from every religion and creed come. From Afghanistan to Indonesia, this place is widely respected among Muslims,” Chishti told ANI.

Earlier this month, a local court in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal ordered a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in response to a plea that claimed the mosque was built by the Mughals after razing an ancient temple.

During the second tranche of the survey, a mob threw stones at the survey team and torched several vehicles, forcing the police to use force to bring the situation under control. Four people died in the violence and scores, including 24 officials, were injured.