'Muslim women gaining more from Darul Qaza, come with 95 per cent complaints'

LUCKNOW: Members of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board's (AIMPLB) Darul Qazas said on Tuesday that it is a misconception that women's issues do not get adequate representation at the arbitration centres and claimed that, in fact, 95% of the issues and complaints brought to them come from women.

Presenting the Darul Qaza report at the conference at Aishbagh Eidgah, organiser of AIMPLB's Darul Qaza committee, Qazi Tabrez Alam Qasmi said, "Most cases relating to family issues, come to the Nagpara centre in Mumbai where around 300 cases a year are heard. On an average, each of the 68 Darul Qazas in the country gets 60-70 cases in a year and it takes about four to five months for a case to be resolved."

"The 19 Darul Qazas in Uttar Pradesh get over 50 family cases per year relating to women wanting separation from husbands, property rights, 'mehr' and dowry issues, custody of child, maintenance after divorce and even initiation of divorce," he said.

"Against popular beliefs, while women can approach Darul Qaza on 10 issues, men have only three points. Around 95% of the applications that we get, and are solved, come from women. This has also taken the load off the already-burdened judicial system," Qasmi added.

AIMPLB member and the Aishbagh Eidgah imam, Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali said, "The conference of Qazis has been organised to strengthen their understanding of family issues and to dispel all misinformation about the centres. It is under our constitutional rights to dispose family issues. It is an appeal to people to use Darul Qaza." The conference will continue till February 28.