Image Courtesy:livelaw.in
The Hindu Sena’s vice president Surjit Singh Yadav, has approached the Supreme Court seeking to intervene in order to oppose the petition seeking contempt action against the Chief Secretary and the Director-General of Police of State of Haryana, Sanjeev Kaushal IAS and PK Agrawak IPS respectively, for their alleged inaction against the disruptions of namaz prayers in plots in Gurugram.
According to Live Law, Yadav also claims to be a farmer and social worker, seeking relief for directing the petitioners to refrain from offering namaz on public property in the Districts of Gurugram, Haryana. According to the news report the application argues that former Rajya Sabha MP Mohammad Adeeb (the petitioner in the contempt petition) has approached the SC to cover up his “communal misdeeds” and is trying to “blame Hindus and their peace-loving character”. It states, “That the judgement rendered by this Hon ‘ble Court in the case of Tehseen S. Poonawalla is law of the land and each and every citizen in respective caste and religion have to follow. Therefore, in grab of offering namaz prayer, they cannot create a situation which sets out a platform for others to lodge a protest. Indian society is a society of multi religious people and therefore, members of each community have to follow the principle of self-restraint to maintain law and order situation. The Applicant has experienced that the assembly of a large number of people at one place to show religious supremacy creates a situation for law and order problems. Therefore, the Petitioner and his associate must impose upon themselves self restraint from encroaching public land or public property for offering namaz prayer.”
Yadav’s application refers to Quran Sharif, Ayat -11.114, and claims that “that there is no mention of offering namaz prayer in the afternoon” adding that “it is crystal clear that Namaz in the afternoon is not supported by the Ayats of Quran Sharif”. According to Yadav, Md Adeeb’s claim is contrary to the Holy Quran.
The contempt petition had been filed in the Supreme Court by a former independent Member of Rajya Sabha, Gurugram resident Mohammad Adeeb, against the Haryana Government for its failure to stop ‘fringe’ elements from disrupting the Friday namaz offered at designated sites in the city. Mohammad Adeeb alleged that the state government has failed to duly comply with the ‘preventive measures’ laid down by the Supreme Court in 2018 in the case of Tehseen S. Poonawalla vs. Union of India & Ors. The court had said that mob vigilantism and mob violence have to be “prevented by governments” and had issued three-fold guidelines: “preventive measures”, “remedial measures” and “punitive measures”. The court had then directed “that it would be the duty of the Union Government as well as the state governments to take steps to curb and stop the dissemination of irresponsible and explosive messages, videos and other material on various social media platforms which have a tendency to incite mob violence and lynching of any kind,” detailed the Leaflet adding that the directions included “that the police should register a FIR (first information report) under Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code and/or other relevant provisions of law against persons who disseminate irresponsible and explosive messages and videos having content that is likely to incite mob violence and lynching of any kind.”
However, as reports from Gurugram have revealed otherwise. Every Friday, for months now, the Gurugram administration has reportedly barely gone through the motions as Hindutva groups disrupt namaaz. Mohammad Adeeb, also a member of Gurgaon Muslim Council, had then told SabrangIndia that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in power in Haryana, is whipping up the Hindu-Muslim divide ahead of elections in Uttar Pradesh next door.
However, soon after his petition was filed in SC, police lodged an FIR against Mohammad Adeeb and others on a complaint filed by local Hindu activists accusing them of disrupting communal harmony and trying to grab land. According to news reports, police said, “The FIR has been lodged against Adeeb, Abdul Haseeb Kashmi and Mufti Mohammad Salim Kashmi at Sector 40 police station under sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.”
Related:
“Shoot the traitors” slogans raised in Gurugram
Gurugram namaz issue reaches SC, even as Hindutva groups continue to harass Muslims
Gurugram: Why are Namaz disruptions on the rise?