Endowments assures HC on protection of 12th century dargah in Vemulawada

Hyderabad: The endowments department on Thursday assured Telangana high court that it would not take any coercive steps against the Dargah Hazrath Syed Tajuddin Khaja Bagh Sawar, a 12th century heritage shrine located within the premises of Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy temple at Vemulawada in Rajanna Sircilla district.The assurance was given by the standing counsel for the department before Justice B Vijaysen Reddy during the hearing of a lunch motion petition filed by Mohammad Nazima. The petition challenges the alleged fencing, barricading and obstruction of the dargah by local authorities. Appearing for the petitioner, counsel Zeeshan Adnan Mahmood contended that the dargah, which has stood for over 800 years as a symbol of communal harmony alongside the renowned Vemulawada temple, is now facing the threat of relocation by officials, including the district collector and the executive officer of the devasthanam. The counsel argued that such action strikes at the very soul of the region's composite cultural heritage. It was further submitted that the mutawalli of the dargah has no authority under law to consent to any relocation, and that such authority vests exclusively with the Telangana Waqf Board. In response, the standing counsel for the endowments department informed the court that no coercive steps would be taken in the matter until March 2. Recording the submission, Justice Reddy adjourned the case to March 2 for further hearing.