Madras High Court Orders Ban on Sharia Courts
Madras High Court has asked the Tamil Nadu government to file a report on the matter within four weeks.
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Taking exception at unauthorised sharia courts, the Madras High Court on Monday ordered a ban on the functioning of such institutions working out of mosques.
It has directed the state government to ensure that any such courts are not allowed to function, and asked the government to file a report on the matter within four weeks.
The court passed the order after hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a Non-Resident Indian (NRI), Abdur Rahman, senior advocate A Sirajudeen told IANS. It ordered the closure of a sharia court functioning out of the Makkah Masjid in Chennai.
The petitioner approached the Shariat Council first so that he can live again with his wife. But he was forced to give a divorce and hence decided to approach the High Court, Sirajudeen said.
The High Court bench in its order said that religious places and other places of worship can only be allowed for religious purposes and cannot serve as homes for unauthorised sharia courts.
However this diktat by the Madras High Court is expected to not go down well with many within the Muslim community. Earlier in 2014, the Supreme Court on a similar note had said that sharia courts have no legal standing. This had drawn sharp reaction from Muslim clerics who said that the Constitution allows them the right to work and act according to the Muslim personal law.
(With inputs from IANS.)
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