Court notice on Ajmer Dargah temple claim sparks political row, opposition calls move 'worrisome'

Amid intense criticism from the Opposition, who pointed out that days ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent a chador to the Ajmer dargah, leaders claimed a decision to check out the presence of temples under such disputed structures is fair.

"A court has ordered a survey in Ajmer. What is the problem if the court has ordered a survey?" Union Minister Giriraj Singh told mediapersons.

"This is a truth that when Mughals came to India, they demolished our temples. The Congress government has only done appeasement till now. If (Jawaharlal) Nehru would have stopped it in 1947 itself, there would have been no need to approach the court today," he added.

The argument surrounds a 1991 law that states that barring Ayodhya, the status quo as of August 15, 1947, will have to be maintained at religious structures across the country.

However, in 2023, the Supreme Court allowed a survey at Varanasi's Gyanvapi Mosque, with then Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud defending its decision that the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 does not prohibits to ascertain the religious character of a place of worship.

The recent petition follows closely similar claims made for key shrines across the country, including the ones in Varanasi, Mathura, and the Bhojshala in Dhar.

Claiming that the violence at Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, was the direct result of this judgment by DY Chandrachud,  former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and People's Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti said: Thanks to a former Chief Justice of India a Pandora's box has been opened sparking a contentious debate about minority religious places

"Despite a Supreme Court ruling that the status quo should be maintained as it existed in 1947, his judgement has paved the way for surveys of these sites potentially leading to increased tension between Hindus and Muslims," the PDP chief said, citing the top court's remarks when a bench had decided that a Ram temple can be built in Ayodhya.

"These things are very painful. Some people have their cool after 2024 (Lok Sabha) election results as they didn't get the majority. These people want to target a particular community to please the majority," said Samajwadi Party MP Mohibbullah Nadvi.

Expressing his concern, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal in an X post, wrote: "Worrisome. The latest claim: Shiv Temple at Ajmer Dargah. Where are we taking this country? And why? For political dividends!" Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal said in a post on X.

"Yet another shocker... supposedly hidden somewhere in the Ajmer Dargah Sharif," said People's Conference president Sajad Gani Lone.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said that if the 1991 Places of Worship Act is followed, the country will be run according to the constitution.

Bhim Army chief Chadrashekhar Azad also questioned how petitions like this are being filed every day, stating that they are "detracting attention from real issues"