The All India Muslim Private Regulation Board on Thursday expressed concern over the current claims on mosques and dargahs in varied courts within the nation and urged Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna to take suo motu motion and direct the decrease judiciary to chorus from opening doorways to extra disputes.
SQR Ilyas, the All India Muslim Private Regulation Board (AIMPLB) spokesperson, stated such claims have been a “blatant mockery” of the legislation and the Structure, particularly in mild of the Locations of Worship Act.
The legislation, enacted by Parliament, clearly specified that the standing of anywhere of worship as of August 15, 1947, shall stay unchanged and can’t be challenged, he stated in a press release.
The intent was clear, to stop any additional concentrating on of mosques or different spiritual locations following the Babri Masjid case, he stated.
The AIMPLB has expressed deep concern and anguish over the current spate of claims on mosques and dargahs in varied courts throughout the nation, the assertion stated.
“Following the unresolved problem of Sambhal’s Jama Masjid, a brand new declare has emerged, asserting that the world-renowned Ajmer dargah is the Sankat Mochan Mahadev Temple. Sadly, the West Civil Courtroom in Ajmer has accepted this petition for listening to and issued notices to the events concerned,” Ilyas stated.
The complainant has named the dargah committee, the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs, and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as respondents, he famous.
Ilyas stated it was deeply unlucky and shameful that, after the claims on the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, Shahi Eidgah in Mathura, Bhojshala mosque in Madhya Pradesh, Teele Wali masjid in Lucknow, and the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, a declare was been made on the historic Ajmer dargah.
“Regardless of the legislation, the court docket has accepted Vishnu Gupta’s petition for listening to and issued notices to the events. The petitioner alleges that the land of the dargah was initially a temple devoted to Lord Shiva, the place worship and rituals like jal abhishek have been carried out,” he stated.
Ilyas identified that throughout the Babri Masjid case, the Supreme Courtroom not solely referred to the Locations of Worship Act but additionally said that no new claims might be entertained after its enactment.
“But, when the decrease court docket accepted the declare on the Gyanvapi mosque, the Muslim aspect approached the Supreme Courtroom, arguing that such a declare shouldn’t be entertained given the Locations of Worship Act. The court docket, nevertheless, softened its stance and allowed the survey, stating it didn’t violate the 1991 legislation,” he stated.
This has led to subsequent claims on Shahi Eidgah in Mathura, Teele Wali masjid in Lucknow, and now the Jama Masjid in Sambhal and the Ajmer dargah, he famous.
Ilyas appealed to the chief justice of India to take rapid suo motu motion on this matter and the direct decrease courts to chorus from opening doorways to any additional disputes.
“Moreover, it’s the duty of each central and state governments to strictly implement this legislation handed by Parliament. Failure to take action might result in an explosive state of affairs throughout the nation, for which the Supreme Courtroom and the central authorities can be held accountable,” he stated.
On Wednesday, an area court docket in Ajmer, identified the world over as house of the dargah visited by hundreds of devotees slicing throughout spiritual divides daily, issued notices to the dargah committee, the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs and the ASI on the plea searching for to declare the shrine a temple.
The discover got here days after 4 folks have been killed in Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh in violence following an area court docket ordering survey of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid which, the petitioners stated, was constructed after destroying an previous temple.
Whereas dargah committee officers declined to remark, Syed Sarwar Chishti, secretary of the Anjuman Syed Zadgan — a physique representing the khadims (caretakers) of the shrine — described the petition as a deliberate try to fracture society alongside communal traces.
He stated the dargah, which he described as a logo of communal concord and secularism, got here below the minority affairs ministry and the ASI had nothing to do with it.
