Ajmer Dargah case: Court reserves order on 12 impleadment pleas
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
An Ajmer district court on Saturday, 3 May 2025, reserved its order following a detailed hearing on approximately 12 impleadment applications linked to a petition claiming the existence of a Shiv temple within the dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. The court is expected to pronounce its decision on which parties will be formally admitted to the case on the next date of hearing.
What the Court Heard
The hearing centred on around 12 applications filed under provisions of the Civil Procedure Code (CPC), through which various parties have sought to be impleaded — either as plaintiffs or defendants — in the ongoing dispute. After examining arguments from all sides and reviewing supporting documents, the court concluded proceedings and reserved its verdict on the impleadment pleas.
Petitioner Vishnu Gupta said the court heard all applications in detail, adding that it remains to be seen which pleas will be accepted or rejected. Counsel for the petitioners argued that objections were raised against several applications on grounds of insufficient facts and merit.
Who Filed the Original Petition
The original petition was filed by office-bearers of the Hindu Sena and the Maharana Pratap Sena, who have claimed that a Shiv temple once stood at the site of the dargah. The case has been drawing sustained legal and public attention since it was first admitted.
An application was also moved on behalf of the dargah's Diwan (spiritual head) and Khadims (traditional custodians), seeking their formal inclusion as parties in the proceedings. Several Khadims were present in court during Saturday's hearing.
Key Figures Present
Among those present during the proceedings were petitioner Vishnu Gupta, Rajvardhan Singh Parmar, and Sarwar Chishti, along with several Khadims and their legal counsels. The presence of multiple stakeholders underscores the contested nature of representation at this stage of the case.
Security and Sensitivity
In view of the sensitive nature of the matter, additional police personnel were deployed at the court premises on Saturday. This comes amid a broader pattern of heightened security around courts hearing temple-mosque and religious site disputes across India.
The court's forthcoming order on impleadment will determine the composition of parties in the next phase of the proceedings — a decision that could significantly shape the legal trajectory of the dispute.