Courts may declare India as Hindu Rashtra: Akbaruddin

The Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen floor leader in the Assembly, Mr Akbaruddin Owaisi, on Monday said the “judiciary may declare India to be a Hindu Rashtra and pronounce the adherents of religious minorities to be a second class citizens.”

Participating in a debate in the Assembly, Mr Owaisi said instead of strengthening the secular character of the Constitution, judicial pronouncements in recent times tended to turn against religious minorities, more particularly Muslims and Christians.

“If this trend is allowed to continue, the government may be forced to give up its secular mukhota (mask). We must put an end to this dangerous trend by clearly delineating once again the powers that separate the judiciary from the executive and the legislature,” he said.

The Majlis leader was cautioned to maintain restraint while speaking about the judiciary by the Deputy Speaker Mr N Manohar, who was in the chair. Mr Owaisi replied that he was exercising his Constitutionally guaranteed right to speak on the judiciary in the Assembly.

The Majlis leader was critical of the judiciary for its rulings against four per cent reservation to Muslims, state funding for pilgrimage to Jerusalem by Christians and construction of new churches or their renovation.

Maintaining that judicial activism had become “hyper active,” Mr Owaisi said public interest litigations were being filed and entertained by the courts on a daily basis. “The High Court may be getting more PILs than original and appellate writ petitions and suits,” he added.

Mr Owaisi referred to two HC judgments by benches headed by then Chief Justice Mr Anil R. Dave and said the petitioners in these cases were Mr Satish Agarwal, who contested the 2009 Lok Sabha elections on a BJP ticket, and Mr T Hanuman Chowdary, IT adviser with the Telugu Desam government.

“A day will come when all the welfare schemes meant for the minorities would be nullified by the courts on PILs filed by Sangh Parivar activists,” he said.

He said the state government had failed to defend its actions and policies in the courts. He sought to know from the Chief Minister whether the state intended to appeal against HC orders on pilgrimage and funding to churches.

The Majlis leader said the proceeds of Common Good Fund raised from Hindu temples were utilised for renovation of temples and construction of Ramalayams in weaker section colonies. But proceeds collected by Wakf Board from wakf institutions were used for salaries. He demanded that these funds should be utilised for repair of mosques.


- Indian Journalist.