UP Court orders Muslims to handover 600-year-old Dargah to Hindus
Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh: On Monday, the Baghpat District Court in Uttar Pradesh dismissed a decades-old 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, refusing to entertain the plea, issued an order directing the Muslim side to hand over the dargah to Hindus.
The dargah of Sufi saint Badruddin Shah, believed to be 600 years old, is located in Barnawa village of Baghpat district. Disputes surrounding the site began 53 years ago 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, approached the court, alleging that a Hindu mob had trespassed inside the dargah and attempted to offer prayers. Seeking ownership of the land and legal protection against Hindu encroachment, Khan aimed to prevent desecration of graves and halt 'havan' ceremonies on the premises. The case was transferred to the Baghpat court from Meerut.
After five decades, the court's decision favored the 'Lakshagriha' claim reignited by Hindu nationalists in recent times. The court emphasized a technical loophole – whether the disputed site was designated as a 'waqf property' or a 'graveyard' in 1920, a point the Muslim side failed to establish.
Advocate Ranveer Singh Tomar, representing the respondents, stated, "We presented all the evidence of Lakshagriha in the court based on which the court rejected the petition of the Muslim side." Meanwhile, Advocate Shahid Khan, representing the petitioners, expressed their intent to move to a higher court to present their case.
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Man held for raping minor stepdaughter in Uttarakhand's Kotdwar
Kotdwar (PTI): A man was arrested here for allegedly raping his 13-year-old stepdaughter, police said on Sunday.
The 32-year-old accused was arrested from Najibabad Road on Saturday and later sent to judicial custody on court orders, they said.
According to police, the minor's mother had lodged a missing person complaint on Friday, stating that her daughter had left home without informing anyone at around 7 am on February 5.
During the investigation, police analysed CCTV camera footage from nearby areas and found that the girl had gone to her grandmother's house.
The grandmother told police that the girl was extremely frightened and did not want to return home due to alleged harassment. She later left the girl with an acquaintance, from where police safely recovered her.
After gaining the girl's confidence, police said she disclosed that her stepfather had raped her on the night of February 4, following which she ran away from home the next morning.
A case has been registered against the accused under Sections 65(1) and 75(2) (rape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 3 and 4 (sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
