A local court in Ajmer has issued notices to the dargah committee, the Ministry of Minority Affairs, and the Archaeological Survey of India on a plea seeking to declare the shrine of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti a temple. The petition, filed in September, has sparked a heated debate, with politicians and community leaders weighing in on the potentially volatile issue. The dargah committee has declined to comment, but the Anjuman Syed Zadgan, a body representing the caretakers of the dargah, described the petition as a deliberate attempt to fracture society along communal lines. The petition comes just days after four people were killed in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, following a local court ordering survey of a Mughal-era shrine. The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which fixed August 15, 1947, as the cut-off date for status quo on the character of religious places, is at the centre of much of the debate. Several politicians, including Union minister Giriraj Singh and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, have weighed in on the issue. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has called the civil court's decision to entertain the petition unwarranted and has asked the Supreme Court to immediately intervene.
Families of the four men killed in the Sunday violence in Sambhal are now forced to contend with the double tragedy of death and poverty, reliant as they were on the frugal income the four once brought.
The mosque's management committee chief, however, claimed that the Noori Masjid in Lalauli town was built in 1839 while the road around it came up only in 1956, and said they have already moved the Allahabad high court which will take up the petition on December 12.
'Delhi's streets were not alleys but an artist's canvas,' the eminent poet Mir Taqi Mir noted more than 150 years ago. Syed Firdaus Ashraf savours the sights and cuisine of the national capital.
Rediff.com captures the mood at Delhi's Jama Masjid during the holy moth of Ramzan.
Commencing hearing on pleas challenging the constitutionality of the Places of Worship Act, 1991, the Supreme Court asked the Centre to reply to cross-pleas against or seeking implementation of statute.
The Supreme Court's 2023 order refusing to stay a scientific survey at the Gyanvapi Mosque complex has sparked claims over several other disputed places of worship across India. This has led to several court cases, including one in Mathura where a survey of the Shahi Idgah Mosque complex was ordered, and another in Ajmer where a claim was made that a Shiva temple existed within the dargah of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti. The article also highlights a dispute over the Bhojshala in Madhya Pradesh, which Hindus consider a temple and Muslims consider a mosque. The Supreme Court's order has reignited debates about the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which prohibits the change of character of religious places as they existed on August 15, 1947.
A body representing the 'Khadims' of the Ajmer dargah has condemned a plea in a local court that seeks to declare the shrine of Khawaja Gharib Nawaz as a temple, saying right-wing forces were trying to "isolate" Muslims and "disrupt" communal harmony in the country.
Curbs under Section 163 (power to issue an order in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which were set to expire on Sunday, have now been extended till December 31 in Sambhal.
We no longer have the ambition to rival China save through words. We are happy to be fighting ourselves and digging up disputes from centuries ago as a substitute for real development, argues Aakar Patel.
Over a month has gone by, but Delhi Police is yet to make a headway in the suspected terror strikes outside the historic Jama Masjid which created a security scare ahead of the Commonwealth Games.
Undeterred by the explosions, the devout went back to the mosque about one-and-half hours later to offer prayer.
Hindu outfits that took out a march in Kullu demanding the demolition of the mosque were involved in a scuffle with the police on Monday.
Fissures surfaced among Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) partners ahead of the Jharkhand assembly elections as the Rashtriya Janata Dal on Saturday expressed disappointment over the announcement of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Congress contesting 70 of 81 seats in the state.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday offered prayers at the historic Jama Masjid and visited the Red Fort in Old Delhi area.
The Indian Navy rescued the hijacked Iranian fishing vessel 'Al-Kambar 786' and its crew after more than 12 hours of intense coercive tactical measures as part of an anti-piracy operation on March 29.
Dressed in traditional finery, Muslims across India offered prayers at mosques and eidgahs on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr on Thursday, marking the end of the holy month of Ramzan.
The jama'ath of a mosque in Kerala has allegedly opposed the participation of people belonging to the lower strata of the Muslim community in their general meeting, drawing sharp criticism from progressive organisations in the society.
While there is no need for any panic, B Raman states that any casual approach to the firing outside the Jama Masjid in New Delhi would be unwise.
Angry young men (and old) dominate the OTT this week. Take your pick.
Police said prima facie, the two incidents were not related. "We are investigating the matter. We are checking whether it has any link," a senior police official said.
A Bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Vijender Jain, however, said that it would decide the fate of the existing unauthorised structure.
Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal and his aide Asadullah Akhtar were chargesheeted by the Delhi police in a court on Thursday in connection with the September 2010 Jama Masjid terror attack case where a bomb fitted in a car had exploded.
Despite claims made by senior police officials of the Delhi police that they would be able to catch the culprits of Sunday's shooting incident near gate number 3 of Jama Masjid in which two foreign tourists were injured, sources in the intelligence agencies feel it would take sometime before a break through is achieved.
Visitors to shrines were being searched thoroughly.
The firing incident in New Delhi and the explosion of a car should serve as a warning to security agencies, says Wilson John.
Police have said the intention of the blasts was to cause panic.
The e-mail was sent using a mobile phone. The sim card as well as the phone were purchased using a fake address and name, from Mumbai.
"I raised the issue of attack on tourist bus in which two tourists were badly injured. Chidambaram told me that while he does not rule out the possibility of a terror attack but it would be too premature to say anything about it," Advani told rediff.com after attending the function.
Suspected Indian Mujahideen operative Fasih Mahmood, who was deported from Saudi Arabia last year, was on Saturday chargesheeted for terror acts in connection with the 2010 Jama Masjid attack.
Miffed at not being able to meet Jama Masjid's Shahi Imam Bukhari, a 32-year-old man allegedly threw a bottle of kerosene at the cleric on Sunday in an attempt to set him ablaze.
The server from which an e-mail was sent a few hours after Sunday's Jama Masjid firing incident has been traced to Norway, Home Minister P Chidambaram said.
Study suggested that constant use of Semaglutide may be linked to development of a condition called non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy.
Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Sunday led a special prayer for world peace at the historic Jama Masjid in Delhi and said it is regrettable that Muslims are being targeted in the name of terrorism. The Dalai Lama, who was in Delhi to participate in an international Anti-Terrorism conference, was accompanied by several foreign dignitaries and people of different faiths.
Were the Chinnaswamy stadium blasts in Bengaluru and the Jama Masjid firing in Delhi in any way connected? It has been ascertained that the terror incidents are inter linked to the extent that it was the Indian Mujahideen which carried out the attack, reports Vicky Nanjappa.
Foreigners wearing mini skirts and entering Jama Masjid prompted Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhaktal and his aides to commit a terror strike at the historic mosque in September 2010, the Delhi police told a court.
The ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which is observed by Muslims as Ramadan all over the world, makes its presence in India.
Severing ties with the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Maulana Syed Ahmed Bukhari has sent resignations of his supporters, including his member of Legislative Assembly son-in-law, from all positions in the state government.
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