The court's acceptance of the petition on Wednesday means it will now hear the case and decide whether the shrine of Mu'in al-Din Chishti should be declared a Hindu temple or remain a Muslim shrine, Middle East Eye reported on Thursday.
The petition was filed by Hindu Sena, a right-wing group founded in 2011 and led by Vishnu Gupta. The group has a history of controversial actions, including vandalizing a Pakistan International Airlines office in New Delhi in 2016 and celebrating Donald Trump's birthday in 2017, referring to him as "the savior of humanity."
The Mu'in al-Din Chishti shrine, located in Ajmer, is one of the most revered sites for Muslims in India. Chishti, a 13th-century philosopher and Sufi mystic, introduced the Chishti Sufi order to the Indian subcontinent, which remains one of the most prominent Sufi orders in the region. His tomb has become a significant pilgrimage site.
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The petition has sparked outrage among the Indian Muslim community, who have faced numerous attempts by Hindu groups to claim Islamic sites as former Hindu temples. One of the most notable cases was the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, which was destroyed by Hindu mobs in 1992, leading to the worst religious riots in India since independence, resulting in over 2,000 deaths, mostly Muslims.
After a prolonged legal battle, a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Ram was constructed on the site and officially opened in January 2024.
Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the concept of Hindutva, or Hindu nationalism, has gained traction, often at the expense of minority groups such as Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians.
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Rights organizations have highlighted several anti-Muslim policies implemented under Modi's government, including the revocation of the special autonomous status of Muslim-majority Kashmir, the demolition of Muslim properties, and the banning of the hijab in Karnataka province.
Source: Agencies