Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Thursday, February 26, passed an order protecting the Dargah Hazrath Syed Tajuddin Khaja Bagh Sawar, which is believed to be a 12th Century heritage shrine situated within the premises of Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy Temple in Vemulawada town of Rajanna-Sircilla district from being relocated.
The High Court was hearing a petition filed by one Mohammad Nazima challenging the illegal fencing, barricading and obstruction of the Dargah by the authorities.
Advocate Zeeshan Adnan Mahmood, who represented the petitioner, contended that the dargah has been standing for over 800 years as a symbol of communal harmony alongside the famous Vemulawada temple.
He argued that the dargah, which officials, including the District Collector and the executive officer of the Devasthanam, said they would relocate, was an act that struck at the very soul of the region’s composite cultural heritage.
He said that the Mutawalli of the dargah has no authority under law to consent to any relocation and that such authority vests exclusively with the Telangana State Waqf Board.
Taking serious note of the submissions, the High Court recorded the undertaking given by the District Collector, executive officer of the temple and the Superintendent of Police of Rajanna-Sircilla district. The bench directed that no coercive steps of any nature, including relocation, demolition or alteration of the dargah should be taken.
The order was widely hailed as a decisive judicial safeguard for a heritage structure that has stood as a living testament to the centuries-old tradition of peaceful coexistence between communities in Telangana.
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