By Our Bureau
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose party and government flaunt their Ayodhya campaign credentials, on Monday ran into an attempt by Hindutva proponents to legally bar him from paying homage at an Islamic shrine they claim was built after destroying a temple.
The Supreme Court, however, refused to entertain the petitioners’ oral request for urgent listing on Monday of their plea, which seeks to restrain Modi from offering the traditional chadar at the tomb of Sufi saint Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti at Ajmer Sharif.
The bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, though, allowed the lawyer who made the request to apply through the Supreme Court registry for urgent listing, so that the plea can be considered on December 26.
According to the petitioners, the Prime Minister offering the chadar at Ajmer Sharif would “cause prejudice to” Hindus’ case in a Rajasthan civil court for a handover of the site on the grounds that the dargah was erected over a demolished Shiva temple.
Successive Prime Ministers since Independence have, as a matter of tradition, offered the ceremonial chadar at the dargah during the annual Urs festival, which began on Monday.
A PTI report said Union minority affairs minister Kiren Rijiju offered a chadar at Ajmer Sharif on behalf of the central government on Monday.
Counsel Barun Kumar Singh, representing Vishwa Vedica Sangathan president Jitender Singh and Hindu Sena president Vishnu Gupta, made the oral request during the morning mentioning time.
“We are praying for listing today itself, this matter for hearing. This is regarding the offer of chadar by the Hon’ble Prime Minister at the Ajmer Sharif dargah,” he said.
This story was originally published in telegraphindia.com. Read the full story here.
