The Supreme Court declined to consider a plea regarding the alleged unauthorized occupation of the Shankat Mochan Mahadev Temple by the Ajmer Sharif Dargah. The court cited its earlier interim order related to the constitutional validity of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, as binding on all courts.
In a recent order, the Supreme Court directed that no new suits be registered under the contentious law nationwide. It also stated that in ongoing cases, no final or effective interim orders should be issued until further notice.
The plea was filed by a member of the Dervish community, followers of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, expressing concerns about a potential survey order by the Ajmer civil court. Despite the apex court’s directions, the Ajmer court had issued a notice in the dispute, prompting the plea for strict enforcement of the Supreme Court’s interim order.
During the hearing, the Chief Justice of India-led Bench emphasized the importance of following the court’s orders. The Bench noted that no order had been issued by the Ajmer court yet and advised waiting for any such order before seeking intervention.
The Supreme Court also declined to entertain the plea on technical grounds, pointing out that the petitioner was not a party in the Ajmer court case. The court is already handling multiple pleas challenging the validity of the Places of Worship Act, with the government yet to clarify its stance on the law’s constitutional validity.
