Ajmer– The Ajmer Sharif Dargah Diwan, Zainul Abedin, stated on Friday that the dargah is prepared to legally respond to a petition claiming the site of the famous Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti dargah was originally a Shiva temple. The petition was accepted by the Ajmer Civil Court West on Wednesday, November 27.

The court has issued notices to the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Dargah Committee Ajmer, and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), requesting their responses. The next hearing is scheduled for December 20.

The petition asserts that the dargah, located in the Ajmer district of Rajasthan, was originally a Sankat Mochan Mahadev temple. Diwan Abedin refuted these claims, stating that “there are no substantial facts.” He emphasized the dargah's 800-year history and its status as an unpaved ground at the time of Garib Nawaz. He highlighted that the tomb has remained unpaved for 150 years, questioning the feasibility of a temple existing underneath.

Diwan Abedin cited the Place of Worship Act 1991 and the August 15, 1947 orders to maintain religious places as they are, arguing in favor of the dargah's preservation. He further pointed out that the legal proceedings lacked proper notice to the government body and descendants of Khwaja Saheb. He also appealed for peace, stating, “We have legal rights, we should go to the court.”

Anjuman Dargah Committee Secretary Sarwar Chishti stressed the spiritual significance of the dargah and advocated for the Places of Worship Act to be applied uniformly, emphasizing the inappropriateness of filing cases against religious sites.