Court Rejects Bid to Protect Land of Dargahs at KGMU

The Allahabad High Court dismissed a petition to protect land associated with two dargahs located at King George's Medical University (KGMU). The plea claimed that the university's activities were affecting the land in question.

Judges Alok Mathur and Amitabh Kumar Rai in Lucknow directed the petitioners, identified as devotees, to address their concerns to the Waqf Tribunal. The complaint from Syed Babar Islam and another individual requested protection for the shrines of Hazrat Makhdoom Shah Meena Sahib Dargah and Haji-ul-Harmain Shah Dargah, as well as the removal of alleged encroachments.

The court noted that the shrine's management committee is responsible for safeguarding the property and that merely being a devotee does not entitle one to seek legal relief over property management. In previous cases, KGMU assured the court that shrine premises were not damaged and devotees faced no hindrance in their activities.

The court clarified that under Section 83(2) of the Waqf Act, 1995, any affected party, not just a mutawalli, can approach the Waqf Tribunal. Consequently, an effective legal remedy exists for the petitioners to pursue, leading to the dismissal of their petition as lacking merit.

(With inputs from agencies.)