TCN News
On 15th August, the members of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha set up the first Hindu Court in Meerut, UP. This court has been opened to deal with the issues of Hindus such as property disputes, Hindu Marriages, harassment of Hindu women and so on.
The Hindu Mahasabha plans to open 5 more such courts in other districts such as Aligarh, Mathura, Hathras, Firozabad and Shikohabad which will be inaugurated on November 15th the day when Nathuram Godse, the man who shot Gandhi was hanged.
However the main purpose of setting up Hindu Courts is to counter the plan of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board to set up Shariah courts. The Hindu Mahasabha members argue that if there can be Darul qaza court for Muslims then why can’t there be a court for Hindus? And that there should be just one constitution for everyone.
They claim that they had objected to the Shariah Courts and demanded that these courts be closed but their demands have not been met which is why Hindu courts have been set up.
The first court in Meerut will have its bylaws, rules and regulations framed and declared on 2nd October. The first judge who has been appointed for this court in Meerut is Pooja Shakun Pandey. Pooja Shakun Pandey is the National secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha and was in the news a few months back for shooting an effigy of Mahatma Gandhi along with her husband and some other members. And she had also distributed knives to school children in the month of May 2019.
This court will also have systems of punishment with their own jails and the highest punishment will be death sentence.
TwoCircles.net spoke to some activists and laypersons on this new turn of events.
Khalid Hassan, General Secretary of Awami Insaaf Movement said, “I believe this is an attempt by the right wing to put pressure on the Government to end the Qazzat system, Dar Al Iftah, Deoband etc. Whenever there will be an objection or court case, they will give reference of these and petition that our court is no different from theirs, shut that and we will shut these.”
Pallavi Gupta pursuing her Phd, said, “This move by the Hindu Mahasabha raises several concerns; first whether informal systems for redress can enable access to justice. And in the process replace or address the pending cases in court?”
“Second, having an informal redress system is not really a solution for the problem of pending cases. Third, what is the locus standi of these Hindu courts? How have they been set up and under what law, rule and procedures will they operate? Finally, I think it’s important to reflect on the larger issue “Hindu courts on lines of Sharia system” is not only demonizing Sharia and uncodified Muslim personal laws but also laying the ground for demands for a Uniform Civil Code in India.” She concluded.
Indrani, a private employee who is affiliated with a political party said, “It is not a bad idea to have our own courts. It will save both money and time.”
Dr. Lubna Sarwat, member of Socialist party (India), called this move a ” deliberately ridiculous anarchist move to disrupt the court and justice system”.
The Hindu Mahasabha members also feel that through these courts they can bring all Hindus under one umbrella and unite them. They plan to set up at least 15 Hindu courts in India.