Former chairman of MP State Minority Commission on 11 November submitted a letter petition against chairman of Press Council of India, Justice Markandey Katju, for advocating uniform civil code and for his adverse comments on Muslim Personal Law. Former chairman of MP State Minority Commission, Ibrahim Qureshi has submitted a letter petition at Madhya Pradesh High Court, seeking restraint on Justice Katju for his comments.
The letter petition states that it is in the larger interest of society for preservation of prevailing peace and tranquillity which may be affected if the state acts in accordance with the wishes of Justice Katju. Justice Katju in an interaction organised by the Indian Women’s Press Corps on September 30 had favoured application of uniform civil code and had said that ‘Muslim Personal Law is unjust as it treats women as inferior. It is unjust law, it is a barbaric, outdated law because it treats Muslim women as inferior,’ quoted the letter petition.
MUSLIMS DEFEND STIGMATISED MADRASAS
As Indian security agencies claim that many madrasas in India are “hotbeds of terrorist activities”, Muslim community leaders have risen in protest, charging that no madrassa in India teaches anything that is related to terrorism.
“In the past, identical charges were slapped against the madrasas in India. But, neither any Hindu group nor any security agency could come up with any evidence in support of their accusation,” Dr. Zafarul-Islam Khan, President All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat (AIMMM), was reported as saying on 10 November. “The charges against Bengal’s madrasas too are baseless,” he added.
The anti-Madrasa frenzy followed an accidental explosion that took place last October at an underground bomb-making workshop in the district of Bardhaman in West Bengal.
CBI COURT DENIED NOD TO VISIT BABRI MASJID SITE
A CBI special court hearing the Babri Masjid demolition case, which had written to the Faizabad administration seeking permission to visit the site in Ayodhya on 15 November to collect evidence and inspect the spot, has been denied the same citing a Supreme Court order. Faizabad Divisional Commissioner Vishal Chauhan, who is also receiver of Babri Masjid/Ram Janmabhoomi site, reportedly said they had asked the CBI to intimate the court about SC’s directives according to which no special visit is allowed to the site.
The CBI special court had written to the district administration about visit of the presiding officer and lawyers of defence and prosecution to the place where Babri Masjid existed before 6 December, 1992. Chauhan said the CBI court has been asked to take permission for its visit from SC, which has banned the entry of any person other than a priest to the area of disputed Ram temple shrine. The court is trying 21 accused allegedly involved in the Babri Masjid demolition.
ARMY CONVICTS 7 PERSONNEL IN 2010 MACHIL FAKE ENCOUNTER CASE
Army has handed life sentence to seven of its personnel, including two officers, in connection with the Machil fake encounter killing of three youths in Jammu & Kashmir in 2010, chief minister Omar Abdullah was reported as saying. “The Army has handed out life sentences to seven including the Commanding officer in the Machil fake encounter case of 2010. This is indeed a very welcome step,” Omar said in a tweet on 13 November.
Hailing the verdict of the general court martial, Omar tweeted, “This is a watershed moment. No one in Kashmir ever believed that justice would be done in such cases. Faith in institutions disappeared. “I hope that we never see such Machil fake encounter type of incidents ever again and let this serve as a warning to those tempted to try.”
SC ASKS AHMEDABAD COURT TO COMPLETE GULBERG TRIAL IN THREE MONTHS
The Supreme Court on 13 November directed the Ahmedabad-based trial court to complete within three months the trial over the 2002 post-Godhra Gulberg Society massacre, in which 35 people including former Congress parliamentarian Ehsan Jaffri were burnt alive and 31 people went missing. The bench of Chief Justice H.L. Dattu, Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice M.Y. Eqbal reiterated its earlier order that the trial court judge upon completing the hearing would not pronounce the judgment.
The situation arose as the trial court judge who was hearing the matter has retired and a new judge has been appointed. The new judge has been given three months’ time to complete the trial. There are 73 accused in the case.
‘16 LEFT PARTIES UNITE AGAINST COMMUNALISM’
Sixteen Left parties, including those outside the Left Front, are united in their resistance against communalism, said Left Front chairperson Biman Basu on 11 November. He was speaking to reporters after a meeting of 16 Left parties was held in the CPI (M) State headquarters. He said that the parties will adopt a final resolution on how to keep communal forces at bay at a convention in the city on December 6.
Asked about the involvement of the 16 Left parties in issues such as the strike of tea garden workers and the unrest in jute mills in Bengal, Mr. Basu said that communalism and economic policy are “interlinked.” He pointed out that if the working class unity is disrupted due to communal polarisation then they become vulnerable to economic exploitation. The Left parties will also observe 6 December as anti-Communalism day.
OPPOSITION CORNERS GOVT. ON MUSLIM QUOTA ISSUE
The Opposition members in Telangana put the ruling party on the mat for proposing 12 per cent reservation to Muslims in education and government jobs while projecting their population as 11 per cent in the Telangana State. Congress members M.S. Prabhakar and Mohd. Ali Shabbir said that while as per 2001 census Muslims comprised 12.4 per cent, Christians 1.4 per cent and overall minorities accounted for 14 per cent of the population, the budget books mentioned Muslim population as 11 per cent.
Admitting to a printing error, Deputy Chief Minister Mohd. Mahmood Ali said the error was being corrected and assured the House that a commission would be constituted to study the social, educational and economic conditions of minorities and proposed to extend reservation to Muslims.
GIVE NARMADA WATER TO DRY AREAS, NOT TO COCA-COLA: GUJARAT CM URGED
Ahmed Patel, Congress Rajya Sabha MP, has written to Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, expressing his “deep concern” on the state government’s decision to allocate three million litres of water daily from the Sardar Sarovar Dam to Coca-Cola for its Rs 500-crore bottling plant in Sanand. The decision was taken in September. In his 10 October letter, Patel said the state government should “prioritise” giving water to drought-hit parts of the state.
The letter states, “The Sardar Sarovar project was conceptualised with the aim of providing water for the drought-stricken parts of north Gujarat, Saurashtra and Kutch. In this light, I am surprised to learn of the government’s decision to allocate waters to a foreign consumer goods giant Coca-Cola, with a daily usage limit of three million litres.”
AMUSU OPPOSES COMMON UNIVERSITY ACT, COMMON ENTRANCE TEST
Addressing the students of the Aligarh Muslim University, the President of AMU Students’ Union, Abdullah Azzam on 14 November resolved that the Common University Act and Common Entrance Test proposed by the central government shall not be allowed in AMU. He said that it was one of the prime duties of the Students’ Union to preserve and protect the unique character of the University and he will do everything to attain this goal.
Reacting over the central government’s reported move, Abdullah, in his speech at the installation ceremony of newly elected AMU Students’ Union, stated that a working group will be constituted by the AMUSU including faculty members to study the proposed Common University Act and its implications for the AMU.