Uddhav Thackeray Sends Chadar To Ajmer Sharif Dargah To Mark 813th Urs Amid Legal Dispute

Shiv Sena-UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray sent a chadar to Ajmer Sharif Dargah for the 813th Urs of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. It comes amidst an ongoing legal dispute over claims of a Shiva temple.

Shiv Sena (UBT) President and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday (24 December) sent a chadar from his residence, Matoshree, to the Ajmer Sharif Dargah of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, marking the 813th Urs of the revered Sufi saint. The chadar was handed over to Khadim Syed Zeeshan Chishti for its presentation at the dargah.  

Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders, including Vinayak Raut, deputy leader Nitin Nandgaonkar, Muzaffar Pawaskar, Kamlesh Nawale, Nauman Pawaskar, and sub-branch head Ganesh Mane, were present at the occasion.  

The chadar offering comes amidst an ongoing legal dispute over claims of a Shiva temple being located beneath the Ajmer Dargah, a matter currently in the civil court. It remains to be seen whether the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will make it a point of contention in the run-up to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. However, it must be noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi also sends a chadar to Ajmer Sharif Dargah.

Court Hearing Scheduled Over Ajmer Sharif Case

On Friday (20 December), a second hearing regarding the claim of a temple at the dargah was held in the Ajmer Civil Court. The court has scheduled the next hearing for 24 January.  

Previously, the Ajmer Civil Court had issued notices to the Ministry of Minority Affairs, the Dargah Committee Ajmer, and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Five additional individuals and organisations have filed petitions to become parties in the case. Meanwhile, the Dargah Committee’s lawyer, Ashok Mathur, submitted an application seeking the dismissal of the petition.  

Lawyers representing Vishnu Gupta, who has made the claim about the temple, and the Anjuman Committee presented their respective arguments.  

Nasiruddin Chishti, the son of the Dargah Diwan, was present in court, asserting, “We are descendants of Khwaja Saheb. We should have been included as a party in the case.” He filed a petition seeking to be recognised as a stakeholder.  

Vishnu Gupta, supporting his claim about the temple, noted, “The discussion in court centred around the Worship Act. Our lawyer, Varun Kumar Sinha, argued that the dargah does not fall under the scope of the Worship Act.”