Jammu: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Friday accused the former Chief Justice of India (CJI) of the ongoing controversy over the surveys of Muslim places of worship, including mosques and revered shrines. Mehbooba's comments come amid heightened communal tensions and a Supreme Court directive prohibiting courts from issuing orders or making survey reports public.
Talking to reporters outside her party office here on Friday, the former Chief Minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir accused the former CJI of bypassing the Supreme Court’s 1991 Places of Worship Act, on religious sites. The Act states that the religious character of sites as of 1947 must remain unchanged.
“Despite the 1991 judgment of the Supreme Court, the former Chief Justice allowed surveys of religious sites, including mosques, to search for Shivlings,” Mehbooba said while commenting on the survey order issued regarding the Gyanvapi Mosque. She also pointed out the ongoing survey at Ajmer Sharif Dargah in Rajasthan, the revered 800-year-old Muslim shrine, known for its role in fostering interfaith harmony. “This shrine is sacred to both Hindus and Muslims, yet it is now being dragged to fulfil the divisive agenda,” she added.
Mehbooba expressed concern over the potential escalation of such actions. “What’s next? Will they start searching Muslim homes now for Shivlings?” she asked, warning that these developments could destroy the secular fabric of India and lead the country towards communal unrest.
Mehbooba’s remarks follow a recent tweet condemning communal violence in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, which she attributed to the “controversial verdict”. She reiterated that the “decision to allow surveys at minority religious sites could reignite tensions between Hindus and Muslims, risking a return of the bloodshed witnessed during the Partition in 1947.”
