'Stop Legal Disputes On Religious Places': CPI(M) On Sambhal, Ajmer Controversies

A statement issued by the party Polit Bureau said that the Ajmer civil court decision goes against the provisions of the Places of Worship Act.

New Delhi: The CPIM on Thursday termed the Ajmer civil court decision to entertain a petition claiming Ajmer Sharif Dargah as Shiva temple as "unwarranted".

A statement issued by the party Polit Bureau said that the decision goes against the provisions of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act. "The decision of a civil court in Ajmer, Rajasthan, to entertain a petition seeking a survey of the Ajmer Sharif Dargah to ascertain if there was a temple beneath it, is unwarranted and has no legal standing. It goes against the provisions of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which decrees that no legal dispute can be raised on a religious place that existed prior to August 15, 1947," the statement said.

"The violation of this Act has already resulted in a flawed decision with regard to the survey of the masjid in Sambhal, which has led to violence and the death of five persons," the statement added.

The party urged the Supreme Court to immediately intervene to put an end to such legal proceedings in line with the Places of Worship Act, which the Court itself had upheld in the Ayodhya judgment of 2019.

A local court in Ajmer on Wednesday directed that notice be issued to three parties in a civil suit which claims that there is a Shiva temple in the dargah of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer.

The suit, claiming that there is a Shiva temple in the dargah, was filed in September seeking directions to start the worship in the temple again.

The court has issued notices to the Ajmer Dargah Committee, Ministry of Minority Affairs and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) office in New Delhi seeking their response. The next hearing is on December 20.