Baghpat District Court in Uttar Pradesh on Monday, February 5, dismissed a long-standing petition filed by a group of Muslims seeking ownership of a site containing a graveyard and the dargah of Sufi saint Sheikh Badruddin Shah.
Civil Judge Shivam Dwivedi presiding over the court not only rejected the plea but also issued an order instructing the Muslim side to hand over the dargah to Hindus.
The dargah of Sufi saint Badruddin Shah, located in Barnawa village of Baghpat district, has a history of 600 years.
The dispute over the site dates back 53 years when a group of Hindus claimed it as the location of the ‘Lakshagriha’ mentioned in the Mahabharata, a palace built by Duryodhana to burn the Pandavas to death.
In 1970, the dargah caretaker, Mukeem Khan, filed a petition alleging Hindu encroachment and attempted prayers within the dargah.
Krishnadutt Maharaj, a local Hindu priest, was named as a defendant in the case.
Mukeem Khan, representing the Waqf Board, filed the petition initially in a Meerut court, later transferred to the Baghpat court.
After decades, the court sided with the Hindu claim, citing the revived ‘Lakshagriha’ assertion by Hindu nationalists.
The Muslim side argued the site’s historical significance as the tomb of a 600-year-old Sufi saint, with the graveyard established later.
However, the court focused on a technicality regarding the designation of the disputed site in 1920, favoring the Hindu argument.
Ranveer Singh Tomar, advocate for the respondents, stated, “We presented evidence of Lakshagriha in court, leading to the dismissal of the Muslim petition.”
In the present day, a Gurukul has been running on the site where Muslims now seldom visit.
Soon after the judgement, security was beefed up in the wake of potential communal disturbance.
According to police, there have been no communal incidents in the district in many years. However, a circle inspector with additional force was deployed to prevent any violence.
Meanwhile, Rajpal Tyagi, manager of Gandhi Dham Samiti, the Hindu petitioner, said that they will celebrate the court’s verdict by performing a yagna at the site.
