Dr Syed Zafar Mahmood
Of late, some people have been approaching the Muslim community leaders persuading them to welcome the Supreme Court decision if it says that the entire disputed land in Ayodhya be given for construction of temple and alternative land at a distance be allotted for mosque provided that the status quo of all other mosques and other spiritual places in India be judicially frozen as existed on August 15, 1947.
It is pertinent to recapitulate that the onset of the belief that Babri Masjid was the place where Lord Rama was born dates back to seventy years ago when in 1949 an idol was surreptitiously placed overnight under the central dome of Babri Masjid. Since then from the last seven decades Muslims of India have been at the receiving end of the political spectrum. Elections have been fought and governments have been formed on this issue to the chagrin of the Muslim community. So much so that the Prime Minister’s High Level Justice Sachar Committee documented in 2006 that Muslims are lagging behind everybody else (including the Scheduled Castes) in social, economic and educational fields.
Thus, in addition to the clamping down on nefariously eyeing more mosques, the Hon’ble Supreme Court Bench would do well to appreciate that the restoration of concomitant justice to the Muslims of India and indemnifying them against future harm is a vital ingredient of the resolution of the Ayodhya tangle. The comprehensive judicial package of the Babri-Janambhoomi issue needs to incorporate the following directions to the State:
1. Stop violating section 9(1)(c) of Delimitation Act, reserve those electoral constituencies and wards where Scheduled Castes percentage is among the highest and de-reserve the wards and constituencies of Lok Sabha & state assemblies where Muslim population is very high while the Scheduled Caste percentage is not substantial.
2. Implement Alternative Admission Criteria for undergraduate level admissions into all universities and colleges of India as recommended in the Justice Sachar Committee Report (p 246).
3. Approve the RBI proposal of allowing the banks to have a window for interest-less banking.
4. Accept the minority character of Aligarh Muslim University, Jamia Millia Islamia and similar other institutions.
5. Given Rs fifty lakh as compensation to every person who is falsely charged of terror activity and is, after several years of multi-dimensional sufferance, exonerated by the court as innocent. Later on, realize this money from the salary/pension/provident fund/retirement benefits of the official(s) who wrongly implicated him.
6. Give proportionate share to Muslims in central and state council of ministers and in all nominated posts and appointments under the state & central governments.
7. Appoint Equal Opportunity Commission at the centre and in the states as recommended by Justice Sachar Committee.
8. Publish Action Taken Reports against perpetrators of lynching.
9. Rehabilitate persons displaced due to communal riots and restore their land and property.
10. Appoint at least one minority community person in all interview panels of UPSC Civil Services and all other interviews for government and PSU appointments.
11. Delete para (3) from the 1950 Order giving the definition of ‘Scheduled Caste’ as it causes religion-based reservation which is unconstitutional.
12. Recognize Surya Namashkar as Hindu religious worship but do not impose it on anybody.
13. Both Yoga and Namaz lift the spirit and tone the body; give equal official importance to both.
14. Respect constitutional secularism and stop insulting it.
15. For appointment as CEO in the state waqf boards, institute Indian Waqf Service as recommended by Justice Sachar Committee.
16. Re-table the Waqf Properties (eviction of unauthorized occupants) Bill 2014 and enact it into law.
17. Vacate the Waqf properties from Government occupation and restore these to the state waqf boards.
18. Revitalize the mechanism of quarterly meetings between representatives of central waqf council and archaeological survey of India as recommended by Justice Sachar Committee.
19. Bring a white paper on (a) Haj Subsidy and (b) sea journey for Haj.
20. Publish data of all kinds of crimes committed against married women and enact a law to stop them.
21. Stop vilifying the Madarsas.
22. Punish the TV channels who organize programs which jeopardize communal harmony.
23. Do not unleash NIA against love couples.
24. Terms like love jihad and ghar wapsi are meant to belittle the minorities. Condemn and stop this uncalled for propaganda.
Hopefully the Hon’ble Supreme Court Bench will issue these directions to the competent authorities and bodies in addition to freezing the status of all places of worship as it obtained on Independence Day. Muslims would look forward to that scenario.
Dr. Zafar Mahmood is the President, Zakat Foundation of India zakatindia.org