Rajasthan Court’s notice on Ajmer shrine sparks political outrage in Kashmir
Former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti, said that despite a Supreme Court ruling that the status quo of the religious places should be maintained as it existed in 1947, his judgement has paved the way for surveys of these sites potentially leading to increased tension between Hindus and Muslims. “Thanks to a former Chief Justice of India a Pandora's box has been opened, sparking a contentious debate about minority religious places…The recent violence in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh is the direct result of this judgment,” said Mufti. The People’s Democratic Party chief said that first mosques and now muslim shrines like Ajmer Sharif are being targeted. “This can result in further bloodshed. The question remains — who will take responsibility for perpetuating this communal violence reminiscent of the partition days?” she asked.
The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, maintains that barring Ayodhya, status quo as on August 15, 1947, will have to be maintained at religious structures across the country. However in 2023, the then CJI D Y Chandrachud had argued that the PW Act 1991 does not debar ascertainment of the religious character of a place of worship and thus allowed a survey at Gyanvapi Mosque, in Varanasi.
In this context, a plea at the local court in Ajmer was filed in September, seeking directions to start worship at the Ajmer Shrine, which the plea claimed was Shiva temple. On November 27, the court issued notices to the dargah committee, the Ministry of Minority Affairs and the
