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Supreme Court declines immediate hearing on Ajmer chadar plea
The plea seeks to restrain the Prime Minister from offering the ceremonial chadar at the Ajmer Sharif Dargah as part of the annual Urs celebrations
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear on the same day a plea seeking a direction restraining Prime Minister Narendra Modi from offering a ceremonial chadar at the tomb of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisti during the 814th annual Urs at the Ajmer Sharif Dargah, with Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant making it clear that no matter would be listed immediately on oral mention.
When the petition was mentioned for urgent listing before a bench of CJI Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, the CJI said he would not allow any matter to be listed on the same day. He added that if the plea were found to meet the threshold of urgency, it could be listed later, either on December 26 or December 29.
“No listing today,” the bench said, declining the request for immediate hearing.
The plea seeks to restrain the Prime Minister from offering the ceremonial chadar at the Ajmer Sharif Dargah as part of the annual Urs celebrations. According to media reports, Union minister for minority affairs Kiren Rijiju is scheduled to offer the chadar on behalf of Prime Minister Modi.
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During the brief mentioning, counsel appearing for the petitioner submitted that a similar plea concerning the Sankat Mochan Mandir was already pending before the court and sought an urgent stay on the proposed offering of the chadar. The bench, however, was not persuaded to take up the matter immediately.
Offering a ceremonial chadar at the Ajmer Sharif Dargah has been a long-standing tradition, followed by successive Prime Ministers since Independence.
The petition has been filed by Jitender Singh, president of the Vishwa Vedic Sanatan Sangh, through advocate Barun Kumar Sinha, in the nature of a public interest litigation. It challenges what the petitioner describes as “state-sponsored ceremonial honours, official patronage, and symbolic recognition” extended to Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti by Union government authorities.
The plea contends that such practices are unconstitutional, arbitrary and contrary to India’s constitutional ethos, dignity and sovereignty. It alleges, citing historical records, that Moinuddin Chisti arrived in India during the invasions of Shahabuddin Ghori in the 12th century and was associated with foreign conquest and conversion campaigns, with his dargah being institutionalised much later.
The petition argues that officially patronising and glorifying such a historical figure violates several provisions of the Constitution and lacks any legal or constitutional basis, seeking a direction prohibiting the Prime Minister and other state authorities from offering ceremonial homage, including the chadar, at the Ajmer Dargah.
