Ajmer Court Accepts Petition Claiming Ajmer Dargah As Shiv Temple, Summons Dargah Committee, ASI

A lower court on Wednesday accepted a petition claiming that the mausoleum of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti or the Ajmer Sharif Dargah is a Shiva temple. The court has admitted the petition, filed by the Hindu Sena, for hearing and kept the date of the next hearing on December 20. 

The development comes as Ajmer West Civil Judge (Senior Division) Manmohan Chandel, while hearing the petition filed by Vishnu Gupta, accepted it for hearing. Justice Chandel directed that summon notices should be issued to the Dargah Committee, the Ministry of Minority Affairs, and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in the matter.

The petition was filed by Vishnu Gupta, the national president of the Hindu Sena. The plea claims that the site is a temple dedicated to Lord Mahadev.

Earlier in September this year, an Ajmer court had refused to entertain a civil suit, by Vishnu Gupta, that sought to declare the Ajmer Dargah as a Shiv temple. The court cited lack of jurisdiction as the reason for its decision, adjourning the case for further hearing on October 10.

(With inputs from Manish Sharma)