Tensions simmer at Karnataka’s historic Ladle Mashk Dargah as the Supreme Court contemplates an expedited hearing on blocking Mahashivratri rituals on a Shivling within its sacred enclosure. Located in Kalaburagi’s Aland area, the site embodies India’s pluralistic heritage but now faces a legal showdown.
During proceedings on February 11, dargah counsel Vibha Datta Makhija pressed CJI Suryakant for pre-festival listing. Highlighting the February 15 date, she underscored the urgency of addressing Hindu-led ceremonies at this Sufi-dominated complex.
The Chief Justice voiced unease at the flood of direct Supreme Court filings, bypassing state high courts. ‘This pattern implies high courts are ineffective and law bends to convenience,’ he observed, promising deliberation on the matter’s scheduling.
Rooted in history, the dargah venerates 14th-century Sufi Hazrat Sheikh Alauddin Ansari, or Ladle Mashk, and Hindu mystic Raghav Chaitanya from the 1500s. Chaitanya, mentor to Ramdas—who influenced Shivaji Maharaj—has his tomb there, now featuring the disputed Shivling.
For generations, interfaith devotion flourished here. Yet, recent years saw disputes over puja permissions and structural tweaks. The petition accuses prior court approvals of enabling a systematic shift in the site’s Islamic essence, urging a freeze on pujas and alterations.
Echoing last year’s friction, Karnataka High Court had permitted 15 Hindus controlled access for worship, with robust policing. Similar phased schedules previously maintained peace between communities.
With festival fervor building, the apex court’s stance will ripple through India’s landscape of contested holy sites. Will it prioritize urgency to avert unrest, or enforce procedural discipline? The nation watches closely.