TIA NEWS / LUCKNOW
Most prominent body of Indian Muslims, the All India Muslim Personal Law board (AIMPLB) has asked PM Modi led central government not to interfere in the Muslim personal law and to follow the policy as done by the previous Congress-led UPA government.
The board maintained that the Muslim personal law is the identity of the Indian Muslims which has protection of the constitution.
“We demand from the Union government to maintain the neutral stand as taken by the previous UPA government and not interfere in the Muslim Personal law. The Supreme Court has admitted the application of the AIMPLB to plead in the cases pending before the apex court over the issue and Waqf board will also file an application before the court to be impleaded as a party in both the cases”, said Zafaryaab Jilani, member of the working committee of the AIMPLB after the meeting of the working committee of the board was held here.
Mr Jilani said,”the AIMPLB is apprehensive of the intentions of the NDA government and board in its March 2015 meeting in Jaipur had adopted a resolution for running ‘Deen Bachao Tehrik Bachao’ campaign across the country as the Rajasthan government had made Yoga and Surya Namaskar compulsory in state run and state aided schools”. Moreover he said,”we are also concerned over the stand of the Union Government in AMU case pending before the Supreme Court where the Centre has withdrawn its petition challenging the order of the Allahabad High Court which had quashed the minority character of the AMU”.
On April 4, the NDA government has decided not to challenge the Allahabad High Court verdict and file a fresh affidavit, claiming that the AMU is a non-minority institution.The AIMPLB has raised the demand of non interference in the personal law in view of the two petitions pending in the Supreme Court challenging the validity of the triple talaq and the second petition about the polygamy and halala.
Supreme Court on March 28 had issued notice to the Union government asking it to file a detailed report within six weeks in connection with the aspects of personal laws relating to marriage, divorce and custody in various religious minorities, including Muslims. A division bench, comprising Chief Justice TS Thakur and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, after hearing a petition filed by a Muslim woman Saira Bano, also asked Union Ministry of Minority Affairs to file its reply to the petition filed by Bano, who had moved the Apex Court, challenging the constitutional validity of Muslim practices of polygamy, triple talaq (talaq-e-bidat) and nikah halala.
The apex court had earlier sought response of the Centre on Bano’s plea, challenging the constitutionality of Section 2 of the Muslim Personal Law, 1937.