Selective targeting of Muslim shrines criticised as historical dargahs in Ajmer and Uttar Pradesh face challenges from Hindu right-wing groups
NEW DELHI — A petition by Save India Foundation, an NGO linked with Hindutva groups, in Delhi High Court seeking removal of alleged illegal encroachments on the flood plains of the Yamuna, which included a mazar and three dargahs, is part of a broader pattern of legal and social challenges faced by Muslim structures in the country.
The court on Wednesday dismissed the petition, with Chief Justice DK Upadhyay questioning the motives of the organisation and raising concerns over its selective targeting of Muslim religious sites.
He asked, “How do you selectively bring up these applications of allegedly encroached shrines? Don’t you see other encroachments? Why are you only pointing out shrines?”
The bench also having Justice Tushar Rao Gadela remarked, “We are on your truth… This will be the fifth or sixth petition heard by this bench where you are demanding the removal of a mazar.” They further added, “Please let us be clear, don’t take it to this dimension… We are not even remotely saying that this structure is halal… But why shrines in particular? If you really want to serve the public, there are many other ways… not just to remove such structures, please tell your foundation to do a better job than what they are doing.”
The foundation, led by its founder Preet Singh, has repeatedly courted controversy over its anti-Muslim campaigns and hate speech.
The court instructed authorities to consider the foundation’s representation and decide the matter promptly. Preet Singh, who is currently out on bail for previous hate speech, filed the PIL alleging that government land had been encroached upon by land mafias through “pseudo-religious structures.” The petition identified three dargahs in Rohtak Road, Seelampur, and Burari, and a shrine in Budh Vihar Phase 2.
The petition is part of a broader pattern of legal and social challenges faced by Muslim shrines in India. In February 2024, a right-wing Hindu group in Ajmer, Rajasthan, claimed that the Ajmer Sharif Dargah was originally a Hindu temple, demanding a detailed investigation similar to the high-profile Ayodhya and Gyanvapi cases. Rajvardhan Singh Parmar, president of the ‘Maharana Pratap Sena’, asserted, “Any Hindu visiting the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti is in fact celebrating the desecration and destruction of an ancient Mahadev temple.”
The Ajmer Sharif Dargah, a revered Sufi shrine located at the base of Taragarh hill, attracts pilgrims of all faiths. Its white marble dome, built in 1532, stands as a symbol of interfaith harmony and the spiritual legacy of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, a 13th-century Sufi saint who drew inspiration from Sunni Hanbali teachings.
In Uttar Pradesh, the legal system has also faced controversy, with the Baghpat district court recently directing the handover of a dargah of Sufi saint Sheikh Badruddin Shah to a right-wing Hindu group, dismissing a decade-old petition filed by Muslims seeking ownership. Civil Judge Shivam Dwivedi ruled against the Muslim petitioners, highlighting ongoing pressures faced by religious minority communities in asserting their rights over historic shrines.
Experts say these repeated legal and social challenges reflect attempts by right-wing organisations to question the legitimacy of Muslim religious sites and undermine India’s centuries-old tradition of Sufi veneration and pluralism. Religious scholars emphasise that shrines such as Ajmer Sharif and local dargahs in Delhi are central to the cultural and spiritual fabric of their communities, welcoming devotees irrespective of faith.
A senior Sufi leader in Delhi, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “These shrines have existed for centuries and serve as spaces of peace and devotion. Attempts to target them are not just legally weak, they are socially harmful. We welcome the court’s decision to uphold their sanctity.”
The Delhi High Court’s dismissal of the Save India Foundation petition is, therefore, being seen as a reaffirmation of minority rights and an important reminder of India’s commitment to protecting religious diversity in public spaces.
