Next hearing in Ajmer Dargah case scheduled for January 24

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Jaipur, Dec 20 (IANS) 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.

–IANS

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Samajwadi Party to raise Sambhal issue during UP Assembly’s Winter session today

Lucknow, Dec 16 (IANS) With the Uttar Pradesh Assembly’s Winter session scheduled to be held on Monday, Leader of Opposition (LoP) Mata Prasad Pandey has said that the Samajwadi Party (SP) would raise concerns over rising communal tensions in the state, particularly the situation in Sambhal.

LoP Pandey added that the party would hold the government accountable for attempts to disturb communal harmony and anticipated significant uproar in the session.

While addressing the media, Pandey said, “Tomorrow (December 16), we will give notice to the government regarding the communal incidents taking place and the efforts being made to disrupt harmony through riots. We will hold the government accountable for these incidents. Tomorrow, we are expected to witness significant uproar in the session.”

Pandey also responded to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s remarks on the discovery of a temple in Sambhal.

“The Chief Minister spoke, and he has the right to do so. But why has the temple only been found now? Was it excavated, or was it already there and only recently recognised?” he questioned.

The Leader of the Opposition affirmed that the Samajwadi Party would continue its fight against all forms of injustice.

“The Samajwadi Party will fight against all forms of injustice, across all communities, and will raise issues concerning the public, such as unemployment, farmers’ grievances, or any other injustices,” he said.

Pandey criticised the government for deflecting from key issues and diverting attention from real problems.

“The biggest issue in the country today is unemployment. Farmers are facing numerous challenges, and to divert attention from these, the government is engaging in distractions. Why is the government afraid to answer the concerns of a state with 25 crore people?” he said.

Pandey also reiterated the Samajwadi Party’s opposition to the idea of early elections, in contrast to Mayawati’s support for the proposal.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday questioned the 46-year closure of a historic temple in Sambhal and the lack of justice for victims of alleged violence during that period, accusing previous governments of neglecting faith and heritage.

Referring to Sambhal, he asked, “Did the administration suddenly build such an ancient temple overnight? Did Lord Hanuman’s centuries-old idol appear overnight? Did the ancient jyotirlinga just emerge out of nowhere? Was this not a matter of faith? Why have the culprits responsible for the massacre in Sambhal 46 years ago not been punished? Why is there no discussion about the innocent lives lost back then? What was the fault of those who were brutally killed in Sambhal 46 years ago?”.

CM Yogi Adityanath further raised hypothetical questions about the developments in Ayodhya, saying, “What if the Ayodhya verdict on the Ram temple had not been delivered? What if the Ram temple had not been built? Would there have been an international airport in Ayodhya? Would Ayodhya’s streets have been developed into four-lane roads? Would Ayodhya have achieved such excellent connectivity?”.

He said that Ayodhya’s residents and visiting devotees are now happy with the transformation while accusing certain groups of opposing these changes. According to CM Yogi Adityanath, such groups had inserted the word secular into the Constitution, undermining its essence.

“They are troubled by the transformation of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham, the construction of the Ram temple, and the divine grandeur of Ayodhya. Their grievance is that, despite ruling for decades, they achieved nothing. Instead of introspecting, they blame our success for their own failures,” he said.

The Chief Minister’s comments came in the wake of the rediscovery and reopening of a 400-year-old Lord Shiva and Hanuman temple in Sambhal, which had been closed since 1978. The temple was uncovered during an inspection related to encroachment and electricity theft. Officials have announced plans to restore the temple to its original structure.

–IANS

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Ahead of Constitution debate, Rahul’s letter to LS Speaker seeking two-day discussion surfaces

New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS) After repeated disruptions and washouts of both Houses of Parliament since the commencement of the Winter Session, the Lower House is likely to witness ‘normalcy’ on Friday and see a productive discussion on the completion of 75 years of the adoption of the Constitution of India.

A debate on the historic milestone for the Constitution has been scheduled in Lok Sabha on December 13 and 14.

Meanwhile, a letter by the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has surfaced ahead of the highly-anticipated debate in the Lower House.

In the letter dated November 26, 2024, the Congress MP demanded a two-day debate on the adoption of the Constitution.

“This historic occasion of the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of India by the Constituent Assembly provides an invaluable opportunity for all the MPs to collectively reflect on the legacy of B.R. Ambedkar,” Rahul wrote and demanded that two days be allocated for a dedicated debate.

Citing precedents of previous debates on Balasaheb Ambedkar’s legacy, Rahul pointed out, “In 2015, both Houses held a two-day, 13-hour discussion on November 26 to celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of Ambedkar. We also had discussions in both Houses on August 9, 2017, to mark the 75th anniversary of the Quit India Movement, and in 2022 to mark the 75th anniversary of the country’s independence.”

The move is set to ignite a ‘credit war’ between the ruling BJP and the INDIA bloc as both would seek to take credit for ‘bringing the House to normalcy’.

Chaos and pandemonium have largely prevailed in both Houses, with the government and opposition taking potshots at each other on multiple issues. Both have pinned blame on each other for the repeated washouts. Both sides, a couple of days ago, had agreed on breaking the logjam with a two-day discussion on the Constitution.

Today, both the leading parties BJP and Congress issued a ‘three-line whip’ to all its Lok Sabha MPs, instructing them to mark their presence in the House on December 13 and 14, when it takes up debate on the Constitution.

If the House witnesses productive and prolonged debate, as scheduled, the Treasury and Opposition benches will pat their back with an intent to drive home the message that it was the other side that derailed the functioning of Parliament.

–IANS

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