rijiju-offers-chadar-at-ajmer-sharif-dargah-on-behalf-of-centre

Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju after offering a 'chadar' during the annual 'Urs' festival at the Dargah Sharif, shrine of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, in Ajmer.

 

Pertinently, a  plea has been filed before the Supreme Court to restrain Prime Minister Narendra Modi from offering ceremonial chadar at the tomb of Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisti during the 814th annual Urs at Ajmer Sharif Dargah. According to reports, a mentioning for urgent listing of a petition was made before a vacation bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.However, CJI Kant declined the request. "No listing today," the Court said.

 

However, as per the scheduled programme, Union Minister for Minority Afffairs Kiren Rijiju on Monday offered a chadar at the Ajmer Sharif Dargah on behalf of the central government during the ongoing Urs celebrations.

 

“I have come to the dargah during the Urs. While presenting the chadar, I prayed for peace and prosperity on behalf of the Government of India and the delegation present here. I prayed for the progress of our nation, for peace, harmony, and for the country’s development,” he told reporters in Ajmer. The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Dargah Committee, khadims and officials.

 

In the petition submitted earlier today in the Apex Court the petitioner submitted, "We are seeking stay a stay of offering of Chadar in Ajmer Dargah by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Our plea regarding Sankat Mochan Mandir there is pending.”Offering of chadar at the Ajmer Sharif Dargah is a tradition which has been followed by past Prime Ministers as well.

 

A similar plea had been filed before an Ajmer court earlier this year.That application was filed by then Hindu Sena President Vishnu Gupta and was part of an ongoing suit before the Ajmer court alleging that the Ajmer Sharif Dargah was constructed on the site of a demolished Shiva temple. Gupta had argued that the Central government by sending a chadar to a "disputed structure" was undermining judicial independence and right to fair trial, when a case related to it is pending before the trial court.