The case of removal of Hazrat Syed Tajuddin Khwaja Bagh Sawar, the almost 800 year old Dargah situated in the premises during the restoration work of Sri Raja Rajeswaraswamy Temple in Vemulawada in Rajanna Sircilla district of Telangana, has now reached the court. The Telangana High Court has imposed an interim stay on the removal, relocation or alteration of this Dargah in any way on 26 February 2026 and has given strict instructions to all concerned officials.
Justice B. Vijayasena Reddy passed this order during the hearing of a petition filed by Mohammed Nazim, challenging the illegal fencing and barriers erected around the dargah. The court made it clear that no demolition, relocation or structural change will be done till further orders.
Dargah is a historical heritage of 12th century
This Dargah is a historical heritage of the 12th century and has stood as a symbol of communal harmony with the temple complex for more than 800 years. Telangana Waqf Board had written a letter to the District Magistrate of Rajanna Sircilla in October 2025 itself making it clear that no interference should be made in the current condition of the Dargah and no transfer proposal should be considered. The Waqf Board also reiterated that this Dargah is a notified Waqf institution, as recorded in the Gazette Notification of January 1990, and the authority to take any decision in this regard rests only with the Board and not with the local Mutawalli or Development Committee.
Controversy after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s temple visit
After Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the temple in 2024, questions started being raised about the Dargah. In early 2025, activist Ravinder Gaur started the Dargah Hatao, Vemulawada Bachao campaign, under which thousands of pamphlets were put in the temple treasury. On 15 October 2025, the Government of Telangana announced the shifting of the Dargah out of the temple premises and since then the temple has been closed for restoration work. Movement for Peace and Justice (MPJ) met Rajanna Sircilla Superintendent of Police and demanded the reconstruction of the Dargah within the temple premises and warned that if proper action is not taken in this matter, law and order may be affected.
Telangana High Court’s interim order comes into force
At present the interim order of Telangana High Court is in force and the next hearing of the case is fixed. This dispute is not just about a Dargah and a temple, but about centuries of common heritage, legal rights and administrative accountability, the decision of which is now in the hands of the court.
