No taxpayers' money to build dargah: HC

The Rajasthan High Court observed that taxpayers' money should not be used for construction of a building of religious nature. It directed the authorities concerned to stop the proposed construction of a dargah at Mandore village in the State.

New Delhi, Feb 3: The so-called secular brigade would find it difficult to digest but the High Court of Rajasthan has a bad news for them. Hearing a PIL filed by Hariyali and Prakritik Paryavaran Vikas Sansthan, the court has held that taxpayers' money should not be used for building a dargah. The unique observation rings bells for those who waste public money to lure and build vote bank from specific communities.

The NGO petitioner had questioned the legality of the action of the Jodhpur Development Authority that had decided to construct a dargah at Mandore. Coming down heavily on the government agency, the Division Bench of Justices Sandeep Mehta and Rajendra Prakash Soni reprimanded it for the decision. This will certainly discourage governments who tend to waste public money in constructing dargahs or other similar structures.

Construction of the dargah at Mandore 'illegal'

The Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in Rajasthan has been accused of pandering to Muslim community with an eye on the upcoming polls in the State which has seen dozens of massive communal riots claiming a number of lives. From demolishing Hindu temples to imposing restrictions on Hindu festivals to please Muslim community has been a trademark politics of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

Following the same principle of Muslim appeasement, the Congress government has been allowing all sorts of constructions without checking their legalities. At times, these constructions have also been funded by the government so that later on it can cash in on the votes. The construction of this dargah in Mandore was basically for the same vote bank.

However, the High Court has made it sure that no madness prevails and the taxpayers' money is not utilized for political purposes. The court observed that taxpayers' money should not be used for construction of a building of religious nature. Needless to say, the court also directed that the proposed construction of the dargah at Mandore village must stop.

Apart from the question of source of funds, there was also a question regarding the legality as it was supposed to come up on forest land. The court found that the project in question is being planned on land which has been declared as a forest area. Therefore, according to the court the construction cannot be undertaken thereupon.

The court's observations have put the Congress government in the dock and questioned its policies where it not just allows Muslims build structures on forest land but the government funds their illegal activities as well.