Mehbooba Mufti welcomes SC stay on Nashik dargah demolition

Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday welcomed the Supreme Court’s stay on demolition of Hazrat Saatpeer Sayed Baba Dargah in Nashik and said judiciary remains the last and most critical institution capable of upholding the secular spirit of the Constitution.

“The Supreme Court’s stay on the demolition of the Nashik Dargah, a crucial intervention, comes in the wake of the Bombay High Court’s failure to fix a time for hearing the case. This delay created an opening for the local administration to begin demolishing part of the dargah, sparking tensions and clashes in the area,” Mufti said in a post on X.

The Supreme Court on Friday issued an interim stay on the Nashik civic body’s demolition notice to the dargah and sought a report from the Bombay High Court on non-listing of the shrine’s plea.

Mufti, a former chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, said these dargahs are not just physical structures but spiritual spaces where both Hindus and Muslims come together in shared reverence.

The Supreme Court’s stay on the demolition of the Nasik Dargah a crucial intervention comes in the wake of the Bombay High Court’s failure to fix a time for hearing the case. This delay created an opening for the local administration to begin demolishing part of the Dargah…

— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) April 19, 2025

“They stand as living testaments to India’s ethos of unity in diversity, an idea that increasingly finds itself under threat from divisive and communal forces seeking to revive Godse’s vision of the nation,” Mufti said.

“In this climate, the judiciary remains perhaps the last and most critical institution capable of upholding the secular and inclusive spirit of the Indian Constitution. The Supreme Court’s timely action offers hope, reinforcing the role of the Rule of Law in protecting justice and pluralism,” she added.

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