Supreme Court declines plea against pujas at Ladle Mashaq Dargah in Kalaburagi
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to entertain a writ petition seeking to restrain courts from permitting Hindu pujas at the Raghav Chaitanya (Shivalinga) located within the Hazrath Ladle Mashaq Dargah premises in Aland town of Kalaburagi district. The petition was dismissed as withdrawn.
According to The Hindu, a Bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and S.C. Sharma was hearing the plea filed by Khaleel Ansari, secretary of the managing committee of Dargah Hazrath Malikul Mashaikh Makdoom Ladle Ansari.
The petitioner submitted that the property had already been declared Waqf property by the Waqf Tribunal. Despite this, third parties were allegedly filing writ petitions and applications before the Karnataka High Court seeking permission to conduct pujas on specific occasions. The High Court had passed ad hoc orders permitting rituals from time to time, including for the upcoming Maha Shivratri on February 15.
The plea contended that such permissions would alter the religious character of the property in violation of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. It sought directions to protect the Waqf status of the dargah and to restrain courts from passing interim orders permitting entry, puja, inspection, survey, construction, installation or alteration of the religious character of the property while an appeal against the Waqf declaration is pending.
The petitioner also relied on the Supreme Court’s December 2024 order which said that courts should not accept new cases challenging the religious character of places of worship.
Senior advocate Vibha Datta Makhija, appearing for the petitioner, contended that once the Waqf Tribunal had declared the property as Waqf, the issue should not be reopened through repeated petitions.
She submitted that since 2023, third parties had been approaching the High Court every year ahead of Maha Shivratri seeking permission to perform rituals, and temporary orders were being granted.
She argued that this affected the managing committee’s rights under Article 26 of the Constitution and sought tagging of the matter with other pending cases related to the Places of Worship Act.
The Bench, however, was not inclined to entertain the plea under Article 32. Justice Datta observed that Article 32 was not designed to be invoked merely because certain orders had been passed by a High Court. “Unless it is a pan-India issue,” he remarked, the remedy would not lie under Article 32. He indicated that if the High Court were to dismiss a petition, the aggrieved party could pursue appropriate remedies thereafter.
The Court also observed that matters relating to the declaration of Waqf property fall within the jurisdiction of the Waqf Tribunal. The request to tag the matter with the Places of Worship Act cases was declined.
The petition was ultimately dismissed as withdrawn.
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India says no payment issues with Iran, crude supplies fully secured
New Delhi (PTI): India said on Saturday that there are no payment issues with Iran for crude imports and that refiners continue to source oil from the country, as well as from a wide range of global suppliers.
In a post on X, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas dismissed reports that an oil tanker carrying Iranian crude had rerouted mid-voyage from its previously indicated destination of India, which would have marked the first such shipment in nearly seven years, to China, saying the claims overlooked standard industry practice where cargoes can change destination during transit based on trade optimisation and operational flexibility.
Terming as "factually incorrect" assertions that the cargo was diverted from its previously indicated destination of Vadinar in Gujarat to China due to payment hurdles, the ministry said, "there are no payment hurdles for Iranian crude imports".
"India imports crude oil from 40+ countries, with companies having full flexibility to source oil from different sources and geographies based on commercial considerations," it said.
"Amid Middle East supply disruptions, Indian refiners have secured their crude oil requirements, including from Iran, and there is no payment hurdle for Iranian crude imports, contrary to the rumours being circulated."
Ship-tracking firm Kpler on Friday stated that Aframax tanker Ping Shun, built in 2002 and sanctioned by the US in 2025, is now signalling Dongying in China as its destination instead of Vadinar in Gujarat, which it had indicated earlier this week.
Oil on Ping Shun would have been the first Iranian crude that India would have purchased since 2019. Indian refiners have been looking at opportunities to purchase a few cargoes of Iranian oil on water following the recent sanctions waiver by Washington.
The ministry clarified that changes in vessel destinations during transit are common in global oil trade, as bills of lading often indicate tentative discharge ports and cargoes may be rerouted mid-voyage for operational and commercial reasons.
"Claims on vessel diversion ignore how the oil trade works. Bills of Lading often carry indicative discharge ports, destinations and on-sea cargoes can change destinations mid-voyage based on trade optimisation and operational flexibility," the ministry said.
"It is reiterated that India's crude oil requirements remain fully secured for the coming months."
The ministry also said that an LPG vessel, Sea Bird, carrying about 44,000 tonnes of Iranian LPG, berthed at Mangalore on April 2 and is currently discharging cargo.
Historically, India was a major buyer of Iranian crude, importing significant volumes of Iranian light and heavy grades due to strong refinery compatibility and favourable commercial terms.
Following sanctions tightening in 2018, imports ceased in May 2019, with volumes replaced by Middle Eastern, US and other grades. At peak, Iranian crude accounted for 11.5 per cent of India's total imports.
India used to buy 5,18,000 barrels per day of Iranian oil in 2018, which slowed to 2,68,000 bpd between January and May 2019 when the US granted waivers to a few buyers. There have been no imports since.
The key grades that Indian refiners used to purchase are Iran light and Iran heavy crudes.
The US last month waived sanctions on the purchase of Iranian oil at sea for 30 days in its latest attempt to ease oil prices that have been driven up by the US-Israeli war on Iran.
That window expires April 19. An estimated 95 million barrels of Iranian oil are on vessels at sea, of which around 51 million barrels could be sold to India, and the remaining are better suited for buyers in China and Southeast Asia.
Ping Shun is estimated to be carrying about 6,00,000 barrels of oil that was loaded from Kharg Island around March 4. Its declared ETA to Vadinar was April 4, according to Kpler.
