Offerings - Court Verdicts
Khwaja Garib Nawaz Committee Ajmer Sharif Rajasthan India
Ajmer Dargah Committee Ajmer Sharif India
Court Verdicts 1. "The defendant is a Khadim of the Dargah, and the Khadims of Dargah are hereditary Khadims, not in the sense of house hold servants. THEY PERFORM PRIESTLY FUNCTIONS THIER CONNECTION WITH THE SHRINE IS NOT ONLY ANCIENT BUT INTIMATE. They introduce pilgrims to the Shrine their business keeps them attched to the Dargah, and to be present in it and to go to it at all hours of the day. They look to the comforts of the pilgrims whom they introduce while inside the Dargah" AIR 1959 Raj. P. 177 = RLW 1959 P. 503. Para. 21 2. “The Khadim’s right to receive offerings which has been judicially recognised is in no manner affected or prejudiced by the impugned provisions. Even after the Act came into force pilgrims might and would make offerings to the Khadims and there is no provision in the Act which prevents them from accepting such offerings when made” AIR - 1961 Supreme Court - Page 1402 3. There has been a litigation between the Dargah Committee (Central Govt. body) and Khadims for last 4 decades regarding the droppings in the historical two Degs (Pots) installed by Mughal emperors Akbar & Jahangir in the Dargah Sharif. The civil suit No. 61 of 1970 was instituted in the court of learned District Judge, Ajmer against the defendants that the droppings in the two Degs mainly on the ground that after the commencement of the Dargah Khwaja Sahib Act, 1955, the two Degs installed in Dargah belongs to Dargah Committee because of the Dargah endowment. The defendants Khadims disputed the claim of the Dargah Committee on the ground that since inception, the Khadims have been receiving the droppings in two Degs, which is Nazare Gharib Nawaz and they are not covered by the term Dargah Endowment. The learned trial court relying on the judgement of the Hon’ble Supreme Court 1961 Page 1402 and number of witnesses & history regarding offerings, came to the conclusion that since inception, the Khadims have been receiving the droppings in the two Degs and hence it has been judicially recognized. Thus the suit of the Dargah Committee was finally dismissed in favour of Khadims on 10th March, 2006 by the learned Additional Civil Judge, Court No. 1, Ajmer. The judgement came during my tenure as Secretary of Anjuman Syedzadgan, Dargah Sharif, Ajmer Sharif Rajasthan India
