'Won't comment as matter is sub judice': Rajasthan Minister on Ajmer Dargah plea

Highlights

Rajasthan Education Minister Madan Dilawar on Friday said he won't comment on the Ajmer Dargah issue as the matter was sub judice. Talking to...

Rajasthan Education Minister Madan Dilawar on Friday said he won't comment on the Ajmer Dargah issue as the matter was sub judice.

Talking to media persons on the Ajmer Dargah issue, the minister said, "I don't want to comment on it. The court will decide as the matter is sub judice."

However, he said that many temples were demolished during the rule of Mughal emperors Aurangzeb and Babur.

"Many temples were razed during the rule of Aurangzeb and Babur and mosques were built. Now an investigation will be done. If the court orders excavation of the premises, then it will be conducted and a decision will be arrived at," he added.

A lower court in Ajmer admitted a petition filed by Vishnu Gupta, National President of Hindu Sena, on Wednesday, claiming that the Sankat Mochan Mahadev temple exists within the premises of the Ajmer Sharif Dargah.

The court presided over by Civil Judge Manmohan Chandel, deemed the matter admissible and issued notices to the Ministry of Minority Affairs, the Dargah Committee Ajmer, and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), asking them to present their responses.

The next hearing is scheduled for December 20.

The petition references retired judge Harvilas Sharda's 1911 book, 'Ajmer: Historical and Descriptive', which claims that debris from a Shiva temple was used in constructing the dargah. The petition also alleges that a Jain temple exists within the sanctum-sanctorum.

Gupta stated that Hindu traditions were visible around the Ajmer Dargah, including carvings on the Buland Darwaza.

The BJP welcomed the court's move, stressing the importance of respecting judicial processes.

Union Minister Giriraj Singh, BJP MP Arun Govil, and BJP MLA Ravi Kishan, among others, welcomed the plea.

Congress leader and former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot slammed the BJP, saying "People from across the country offer prayers at the Ajmer Dargah. Even all the Prime Ministers, including incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have offered 'chadar' at the dargah. On one hand, chadar is being offered, while on the other, members of their party are approaching courts and creating confusion. What kind of message is being sent?"