Chief Justice Orders Hearing on December 12 via Special Bench Following JUH’s Request
Sataff Reporter / New Delhi
In the backdrop of the Sambhal tragedy and the claim of Hindus over the Ajmer Dargah, a petition filed by the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind on the directions of its President Maulana Arshad Madani regarding the Protection of Places of Worship 1991 Act, will be heard by a three-member special bench headed by the Chief Justice of India on December 12 at 3:30 pm.
This bench will include Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice KV Viswanathan. Due to time constraints, the Chief Justice of India had ordered the adjournment of the hearing in the previous hearing.
It should be noted that in the light of the letter written by Advocate on Record Ijaz Maqbool, the Chief Justice of India has ordered the hearing of this important case before a special bench.
Senior advocates Raju Ramachandran and Vrinda Grover will argue the petition filed in the Supreme Court of India regarding the maintenance of the Protection of Places of Worship 1991 Act and its effective implementation.
Lawyers of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind will also present their arguments in the court on the petitions challenging the Protection of Places of Worship 1991 Act.
The President of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Maulana Arshad Madani, has termed this a hopeful development, stating in his statement that they are confident justice will prevail once again. He said that the circumstances under which the law was enacted in 1991 were similar to today’s situation, where a wave of hatred was being spread everywhere and people were being incited to break the law. Therefore, this law was introduced to permanently close the door of hatred that communal elements had opened in an attempt to set the country’s peace, unity, and brotherhood on fire.
Maulana Madani further stated that despite the 1991 law, the door of lies and hatred has once again been opened, and claims are being made that there are temples at all important Muslim places of worship, khanqahs, and dargahs. The question of why the 1991 law is being deliberately violated has now become irrelevant, as the issue should be raised with those who would answer. In this case, everything is being done with arrogance and pride of the majority, while completely disregarding the Constitution and law.
He added that they are pleased that the court has understood the sensitivity and importance of the matter and, upon the request of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind’s lawyers, has constituted a special bench, with the Chief Justice himself presiding over it. They are not just hopeful, but confident that the constitutional validity of this law, which guarantees the country’s peace, unity, and integrity, will not only be upheld but that the court will also issue directions regarding its effective implementation.