Staff Reporter / New Delhi
Top leadership of the Muslim community has decided to meet president of India Mrs Draupadi Murmu to convey the hurt feeling of community over recent court decision on Gyanvapi Mosque and other issues concerning them, saying that ‘dignity of the country and the impartiality of its judicial system and administrative affairs’ have been seriously threatened in recent days. They said that it is the most important duty of all constitutional officials to take timely notice to this.
At a press conference here today they said: “ As the representative of Indian Muslims, we have sought time to convey our feeling to the President of India, who is the supreme head of the country, so that our concerns are addressed. We will also try to convey this feeling of Muslims to the Chief Justice of India in a proper manner”.
They said that the successive decisions of the courts are strengthening negative feeling among the minorities and the oppressed classes of the country. This issue is not only to preserve the dignity of the courts, but also to protect the oppressed and minority communities from feeling deprived and oppressed.
In a statement they said that the lower floor of the Gyan Vapi Masjid, the puja has been started in a hurry by placing an iron grill overnight and placing the idols. “We strongly condemn this collusion. Although the court had given 7 days time to the administration for this work – we are also deeply surprised and saddened by the decision of the Varanasi district judge – in our opinion, this decision was given on the basis of a very wrong and baseless argument that the floor of the Gyan Vapi Masjid that the basement was worshiped by the family of Somnath Vyas till 1993 and it was closed on the order of the then state government – January 17, the same court handed over the basement to the custody of the district administration –
“We consider it necessary to make it clear that no pooja was ever held in this basement, basing it on an absurd and baseless claim, the District Judge has given a highly questionable and baseless decision on the last day of his service. Similarly, the Hindu side has unilaterally disclosed the archaeological survey report in the press and created chaos in the society, although it has not been discussed or confirmed in the court yet. Right now, this report is just a claim”.-
The haste with which the administration implemented the district court’s order was clearly intended to undermine the right of the Muslim party to seek immediate relief from the Higher Court. Similarly, we feel that the district court should also have given the Muslim party an opportunity to appeal, which is its legal right.
The problem is not only limited to the Gyan Vapi Masjid, but just like the Shahi Eidgah of Mathura, Sunehri and other mosques of Delhi and numerous mosques and waqf properties across the country. Despite declaring it essential for the secular structure of the country and giving clear instructions for its observance, the Supreme Court has remained silent on the 1991 Law on Places of Worship, which has caused serious concern among the Muslims of the country.
“In any democratic system, the courts are the last resort for the justice of the oppressed and affected people of the society, but if they also start taking a biased attitude, then who will do justice? It seems that the opinion of Honorable Dushant Dave, Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court about the courts is right that the courts of the country are becoming the puppets of the sectarians and they remain silent spectators to the flagrant violations of the law by the administration. This serious comment by a very senior lawyer on the judicial system of the country is pointing to a disastrous future” they said in a statement.
Those who addressed the press conference include
Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, President All India Muslim Personal Law Board
Maulana Syed Arshad Madani, President, Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind
Maulana Asghar Imam Mehdi, President of Central Jamiat Ahle Hadith
Maulana Syed Asad Mahmood Madani, President Jamiat Ulema Hind
Mr. Malik Mutasim Khan Sahib, Naib Amir, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind
Mr. Asaduddin Owaisi, MP, President All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen
Maulana Mufti Makram Ahmad, Shahi Imam, Fatehpuri
Dr. Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, Spokesman and Member of Majlis Amila Personal Law Board
Mr. Kamal Farooqui, Member Majlis Ameela, Muslim Personal Law Board