Muslim personal law board to challenge ordinance and bill on Ram temple and triple talaq in SC

LUCKNOW: The All Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Sunday decided that it will challenge any ordinance or bill brought by the government supporting construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya or criminalising instant triple talaq, respectively, in the Supreme Court (SC).

The board's working committee that had held a meeting at Lucknow's Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama on the day, also said that it had constituted a committee that would reach out to all 'secular' political parties, against the instant triple talaq ordinance of the central government.

AIMPLB has maintained that while the SC has said that instant triple talaq is invalid, provisions of the ordinance makes the 'invalid' offence punishable, which is anti-women.

"An ordinance lapses after a specified amount of time, unless it is approved by the Parliament. The board is hopeful, it will lapse before being presented in the Parliament,however if the government does table a bill on it, we will challenge it in court," said AIMPLB member, Qasim Rasool Ilyas.

Addressing the media, he also said, "A committee has been formed, of which I too am a member, will be meeting all parliamentarians and heads of political parties except the BJP, to make them understand legal fallacies of the instant triple talaq ordinance and how it affects women and their families." The ordinance makes instant triple talaq a punishable offence with three year jail term for such a husband.

Board member, Zafaryab Jilani also said, "The board reiterates that any judicial verdict by the SC on the Babri Masjid dispute will be final for us."

Talking about the board's efforts to spread awareness on Shariat laws within the community, executive member of the board, Dr Asma Zehra said, "We have been conducting awareness programs in a large number of rural as well as urban areas, having debates and discussions on marital issues within the community. We will now expand the same to people of other communities holding awareness programs for all communities in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Lucknow."

The board also said that it had set up 14 new Darul qazas in the country, to work as advisory arbitration centers facilitating decision making in family issues. "The Darul qazas have been working in tandem with courts and helping in taking off a bit of the court's load. More such Darul qazas will be coming up by the end of December," said board secretary, Maulana Umrain Mahfooz Rahmani.