On 2nd February, Agra District Court heard a plea filed by the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM) for a prohibitory injunction on the observance of the ‘Urs’ or the death anniversary of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan at the Taj Mahal. The matter has been listed for the next hearing on 31st March.
Advocate Anil Tiwari appeared for the Hindu organisation. They have also appealed against free entry of the people on the occasion. Urs is scheduled for 6th February to 8th February. It is dedicated to commemorate the death of Shah Jahan. It is believed that Shah Jahan commissioned the Taj Mahal when it was built in 1653 on the banks of the Yamuna River. During the three-day event, various rituals include Chadar Posh, Sandal, Gusul and Kil etc take place.
Speaking to PTI, advocate Tiwari said, “They have sought a permanent prohibitory injunction against the committee celebrating the Urs. The petitioner has also objected to having free entry for the Urs at the Taj Mahal.”
The Hindu organisation said in their plea that Celebration Committee Tajgang (CCT) planned the event at the historic monument without the government’s permission or the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Furthermore, it has been contested that the president of CCT has no relation to the Taj Mahal as he is neither an employee nor does not have any concerns about the ASI-protected monument.
In a statement, ABHM spokesperson Sanjay Jat said that neither the Mughals nor the British allowed such events inside the Taj Mahal compound. He said, “The petition has been filed based on an RTI filed by a Raj Kishore Raje, a historian of Agra city. In the RTI, he asked ASI who permitted the ‘Urs’ celebration and ‘Namaz’ on the Taj Mahal premises. The ASI replied that neither the Mughals nor the British government nor the Government of India have allowed ‘Urs’ celebration in the Taj Mahal.”
He added, “So, on that basis, we have filed a petition seeking the prohibitory injunction, stopping the organisers of Shah Jahan ‘Urs’ Celebration Committee, headed by Syed Ibrahim Zaidi, from celebrating the ‘Urs’ at the Taj Mahal.”
Hindu Mahasabha divisional president Meena Diwakar and district president Saurabh Sharma spoke to India Today and said religious programs are not allowed inside ASI-controlled monument; thus, celebrating ‘Urs’ is illegal. Sharma added that Hindu Mahasabha is also planning a petition to survey the Taj Mahal on the lines of Gyanvapi and Krishna Janmbhoomi.
On the other hand, CCT’s chairman, Syed Ibrahim Zaidi, claimed that every year, they get permission from ASI to celebrate Urs, and this year, too, the permission has been granted. He added that the Urs has been held at the Taj Mahal for centuries, and the claims in the petition were bogus.
