NEW DELHI: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) on Thursday criticised the decision of a civil court in Ajmer to entertain a petition seeking a survey of the Ajmer Sharif Dargah to ascertain if there is a temple beneath it, calling it "unwarranted" and lacking "legal standing".
In a statement issued by the party's policy bureau, the CPM argued that the court’s decision contravenes the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. The Act explicitly prohibits raising legal disputes regarding the status of religious places as they existed prior to 15 August 1947.
A local court in Ajmer on Wednesday issued notices to three parties involved in a civil suit claiming that a Shiva temple exists beneath the dargah of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer.
Referring to the recent violence in Sambhal, the CPM called for the Supreme Court's immediate intervention to uphold the provisions of the Act. The party linked the Sambhal unrest, which resulted in five deaths, to what it described as a "flawed decision" to permit the survey of a masjid in the area.
“The Supreme Court must immediately intervene to put an end to such legal proceedings in line with the Places of Worship Act, which the Court itself had upheld in the Ayodhya judgment of 2019,” the statement said.
The CPM maintained that violations of the 1991 Act were fueling communal tensions and warned of further consequences if such legal disputes were allowed to proceed.