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Delhi Court reserves appeal seeking restoration of Hindu, Jain temples at Qutub Minar

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 A Delhi court on Tuesday reserved the appeal against the dismissal of a suit seeking restoration of the Hindu and Jain temples and the deities at the Qutub Minar complex.

Additional District Judge Nikhil Chopra of the Saket Court was hearing the appeal challenging the rejection of a suit alleging that the Quwwat-Ul-Islam Masjid situated within the Qutub Minar complex in Mehrauli was built in place of a temple complex.

After the detailed hearing, the court said the verdict will be delivered on June 9.

During the course of the hearing, the appellant alleged that around 27 Hindu and Jain temples were desecrated and damaged in 1198 under the rule of Mughal Emperor Qutub-Din-Aibak raising the construction of the said mosque in place of those temples.

The Archaeological Survey of India opposed the suit, submitting that the ‘fundamental rights cannot be availed in violation of any status of the land’.

“It will be contrary to the provisions of the AMASR Act, 1958 to agree to the contention of the Respondents or any other person claiming a fundamental right to worship in this centrally protected monument,” read the affidavit submitted by the ASI.

Earlier on February 22, allowing the appeal, Additional District Judge Pooja Talwar issued notice to the Union of India through the Ministry of Culture, Director General of Archaeological Survey of India, and Superintending Archaeologist, Delhi Circle, ASI.

The civil suit, filed on behalf of Jain deity Tirthankar Lord Rishabh Dev and Hindu deity Lord Vishnu (through their next of friends), was seeking restoration of the alleged temple complex, comprising as many as 27 temples.

As per the suit, the temples were dismantled, desecrated, and damaged under the command of Slave Dynasty Emperor Qutub-Din-Aibak, who raised some construction at the same very place and named it the Quwwat-Ul-Islam Mosque.

The ruler failed to completely demolish the existing temples and only partial demolition was carried out after reusing the material of the temples, the said mosque was erected, it read.

In December last year, Civil Judge Neha Sharma noted that the plaintiffs have no absolute right to restore and worship in the property as public order which is an exception under Article 25 and 26 of the Constitution. This requires the status quo be maintained and the protected monument to be used for no religious purpose. It is also an established fact that Quwwat-Ul-Islam Masjid was built atop existing temples, but the property was not being used for any religious purposes and no prayers were being offered here.

The court had observed that wrongs may have been committed in the past, “but such wrongs cannot be the basis for disturbing the peace of our present and future”.

Referring to a portion of the Ayodhya judgment, the court had said: “Cognisant as we are of our history and of the need for the nation to confront it, Independence was a watershed moment to heal the wounds of the past. Historical wrongs cannot be remedied by the people taking the law into their own hands.”

Crime

DRI seizes 2 leopard skins, wild boar horn; two suspects apprehended

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Bhopal, May 6: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) Nagpur unit, under the Mumbai Zonal jurisdiction, successfully apprehended two individuals engaged in illegal trade and possession of leopard skins.

Following the seizure, the confiscated wildlife articles and the detained individuals were handed over to the District Forest Division of Ujjain for further investigation in accordance with the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

The operation, conducted in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, resulted in the seizure of two leopard skins with heads, along with an ivory (wild boar horn), from the suspects.

Acting on specific Intelligence regarding attempts to sell these prohibited wildlife items, the DRI team intervened at a hotel in Ujjain on the morning of May 4 leading to the suspects’ capture.

The seized leopard skins and ivory were confiscated under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, which strictly prohibits the trade, purchase, or possession of leopard skins or any part of the animal, as leopards are listed under Schedule I of the Act.

The agency is active in various wildlife enforcement actions, including a recent operation in Rajasthan’s Rajsamand district, where it seized two leopard hides and 18 leopard nails, leading to the arrest of five individuals.

In March 2024, another mission in Vizag city resulted in the seizure of a leopard skin and the apprehension of four traffickers.

Additionally, DRI’s Pune unit intercepted a leopard skin in Akola, Maharashtra, leading to the arrest of three persons.

This operation is part of DRI’s ongoing efforts to combat wildlife trafficking.

Earlier in January 2025, the Nagpur unit intercepted three individuals in Maharashtra’s Akola district and recovered one leopard skin.

These successful missions reaffirm DRI’s steadfast commitment to curbing illegal wildlife trade and safeguarding India’s biodiversity.

Employing its Intelligence-based approach and enforcement capabilities, the DRI continues to dismantle trafficking networks and enforce wildlife protection laws in collaboration with other agencies.

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Crime

12 more militants apprehended in Manipur, large cache of arms recovered

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Imphal, May 6: Security forces have arrested 12 more militants, including a woman cadre, of different outfits and recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition in Manipur during the past 24 hours, officials said on Tuesday.

A police spokesman said that of the 12 militants apprehended, 11 belong to the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) outfit and one to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) group.

The militants, including a woman cadre, were arrested from four districts — eight from Imphal East, one from Imphal West, two from Thoubal, and one from Kakching.

A large cache of arms and ammunition, including AK series/A1/M4/self-loading rifles, .303 rifles, pistols, camouflage uniforms, mobile phones, various electronic devices, incriminating documents and various other materials were recovered from the militants.

These extremists were involved in kidnapping, threatening people, various types of crimes, forcible collection of money from government employees, contractors, traders and common people.

The security forces, comprising Central and state forces, arrest militants of different outfits almost every day.

Meanwhile, police, during the past 24 hours, have recovered six more stolen vehicles in a special drive conducted for the recovery of stolen/snatched vehicles from anti-social elements/ miscreants.

Amid the ethnic violence in Manipur, widespread theft of cars and two-wheelers was reported, and 151 stolen cars and 30 two-wheelers have been recovered since April 16 from different places in the state when a special drive for the recovery of stolen/snatched vehicles was launched.

Combined security forces have continued search operations and area domination in the fringe and vulnerable areas of hill and valley districts. Manipur has two National Highways — the Imphal-Jiribam National Highway (NH-37) and the Imphal-Dimapur National Highway (NH-2), both very crucial to bring in foodgrains, various essentials and useful items, medicines, transport fuels, construction materials, machineries, and numerous other commodities from outside the state. To prevent any attack or any untoward incident, the security forces provide escorts to all kinds of vehicles when they move through the National Highways.

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Crime

ED raids 10 locations in Ahmedabad linked to Rs 100 crore Waqf Board fraud

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Ahmedabad, May 6: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out raids at 10 locations in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, in connection with a Rs 100 crore fraud involving Salim Jummakhan Pathan, who is accused of illegally posing as a Waqf Board trustee and siphoning off rent from Waqf properties.

The action follows an FIR registered by the Gaekwad Haveli police, where five individuals were earlier arrested for allegedly misrepresenting themselves as trustees of the Waqf Board.

The group is accused of illegally collecting rent from properties associated with the Waqf Board, including the historic Kaanch Ni Masjid (Glass Mosque) and Shah Bada Qasam Trust in the Jamalpur area.

According to police investigations, the accused were never officially appointed as trustees by the Gujarat State Waqf Board.

Despite this, they allegedly posed as authorised representatives to extract rent from tenants occupying Waqf-owned properties and commercial establishments built on land leased to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).

A key revelation in the investigation points to a plot originally allotted by the Waqf Board to AMC for constructing a school.

The school building was damaged during the 2001 Gujarat earthquake. In 2009, the accused allegedly demolished the remaining structure and began renting out the land. One of the main accused, Salim Pathan, is said to have set up an office — Sodagar Construction — in one of the shops, while leasing out the rest. Neither the rent collected was deposited in the Waqf trust’s official account nor reported to the municipal body, leading to a misappropriation of public and religious assets.

The ED’s raids are part of a broader probe into the alleged financial misdeeds and money laundering linked to this case.

Further investigations are ongoing, and more details are awaited.

The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, enacted on April 8, introduces significant reforms to the governance of waqf properties in the country, aiming to enhance transparency, inclusivity, and administrative efficiency.

The Act mandates the inclusion of non-Muslim members in the Central Waqf Council and State Waqf Boards, allowing for broader representation. Specifically, it permits up to 12 out of 22 members in the Central Waqf Council and 7 out of 11 members in State Waqf Boards to be non-Muslims. Additionally, it requires at least two Muslim women to be part of these bodies, promoting gender inclusivity.

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