Supreme Court Rejects Plea Against PM Offering Chadar at Ajmer Sharif Dargah
The Supreme Court of India on Monday dismissed a petition challenging the long-standing practice of the Prime Minister offering a chadar at the Ajmer Sharif Dargah, the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti.
A Bench led by Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi held that the relief sought by the petitioners was “not justiciable”, meaning it was not a matter for judicial intervention.
The petition sought to challenge what was described as State-sponsored ceremonial honour and symbolic recognition extended to the Ajmer Dargah by the Union government. It also requested that the Prime Minister be restrained from offering a chadar at the shrine.
During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel argued that the practice of offering a chadar by the Prime Minister began only in 1947 and lacked any constitutional or legal basis. The Chief Justice declined to comment on this submission, reiterating that the issue could not be examined by the Court.
The counsel also informed the Bench that a civil suit is pending before a trial court, claiming that the dargah was built over the remains of a Shiva temple. The Supreme Court clarified that dismissal of the present writ petition would not affect the pending civil proceedings.
The petition was filed by Jitender Singh and Vishnu Gupta, who are office-bearers of Vishwa Vedic Sanatan Sangh and Hindu Sena respectively. They argued that continued official patronage to the dargah is unconstitutional, arbitrary, and contrary to the constitutional ethos of India.
The petitioners relied on an earlier Constitution Bench judgment to argue that the Ajmer Dargah does not qualify as a religious denomination under Article 26 of the Constitution. They also claimed that the practice of a Prime Minister offering a chadar is against the will of the people. One of the petitioners had also made a representation to Narendra Modi requesting him to stop the practice.
With these observations, the Supreme Court dismissed the plea.
