ISIS not linked to Islam, say scholars

DECCAN CHRONICLE. | S A ISHAQUI

Published Feb 24, 2016, 6:46 am IST

Updated Feb 24, 2016, 6:46 am IST

Scholars say, stay away from extremism, unjust use of power.

 Islamic State fighters (Photo: AFP)

Hyderabad: Prominent Muslim scholars across the country and abroad who had gathered in the city to participate in an international conference on the life and teachings of Prophet Mohammed, on Tuesday unanimously resolved and declared terror outfits like the ISIS as not even remotely associated with the idea of Islam. Their deeds and actions were absolutely un-Islamic and against humanity, they said.
The three-day conference held by Al Mahad al Aali Isalmi, an Islamic institution founded by noted Islamic scholar Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, concluded on Tuesday night with a public meeting. Earlier in the day, Islamic scholars Maulana Syed Wali Rahmani, Maulana Sajjad Noumani, Khalid Saifullah Rahmani – members of the All India Mus-lim Personal Law Board –  and Maulana Khaled Hussain Siddiqui, secretary, Jamiat-ul-Ulema (Nepal) addressed a seminar on the determined stand of Muslims against the ISIS and its threat to humanity.
The scholars made it clear that the Shariah forbade the murder or killing of innocent people. According to Quranic teachings, “whoever kills a person (unjustly) it is as though he has killed all mankind. And whoever saves a life it is as though he has saved all mankind.” The scholars urged people, particularly Muslim youth, to refrain from extremism and unjust use of power as Islam teaches Muslims to respect and protect the life, wealth, assets and dignity of people irrespective of their beliefs.
The conference resolved to seek a global law that mandates respect of all religions from the UN. The scholars said: “When the sentiments of a particular group are hurt, no one condemns it and instead the same strata condemn the reaction of the affected groups… This brews the feelings of hatred, enmity and violence among the affected people. Use of force is not the solution.”

Telangana courts test of its powers

DECCAN CHRONICLE. | S A ISHAQUI

Published Feb 23, 2016, 2:05 am IST

Telangana govt has amended laws, sometimes repeatedly, through GOs and Ordinances.

 According to K Ramakrishna Reddy, Section 101 empowered the govt to adapt, repeal or amend laws by executive order for two years. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: The Telangana state government’s stand that it has the power, under the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, to repeatedly amend laws through executive order will come up for judicial scrutiny. Parliament had made a provision, in Section 101 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act that enabled the Telangana state government to adapt, repeal or modify laws of undivided AP. According to Telangana state Advocate-General K Ramakrishna Reddy, Section 101 empowered the government to adapt, repeal or amend laws by executive order for two years from June 2, 2014, when the state was formed, without seeking legislative consent.
Advocate Sivaraju Srinivas, who is fighting the case against amending the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Act through an executive order, said, “The state government cannot use its powers under Section 101 arbitrarily. It amounts to the Executive usurping the power of the Legislature.” He said Section 101 empowered the government to amend or repeal a law through an executive order only once. It does not empower the government to make repeated changes to a law which is already adapted, through executive order.
Advocate S. Sriram, who is fighting cases against changes to laws pertaining to state universities to appoint vice-chancellors, said, “Section 101 is an exigency power, it cannot be an alternative to the Legislature and it does not have retrospective effect.” He said that after adapting a law, subsequent  changes can be made either by the Legislature or by way of Ordinance in case of urgency, but not through executive order.
The government is relying on a judgment delivered by the Jharkhand High Court on a similar issue of amending a law through executive order by citing Section 85 of the Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000. In Rashmi versus State of Jharkhand, a division bench of the Jharkhand High Court ruled that once a state adopted an existing law, it would be treated as law that was in existence before the appointed day.
At High Court, the mood is of disapproval:
The Telangana state government has faced tough times in court on PILs that were moved against certain GOs that it issued to amend laws. The High Court has stated that it was prima facie satisfied that the state government has no power to amend a law by merely issuing a government order once it was adopted by citing the AP Reorganisation Act 2014.
The court was of the opinion that the balance lay in favour of the petitioners who moved PILs against the amendments carried out through executive orders, to the GHMC Act that reduced the schedule for the GHMC elections, another that introduced the Building Regularisation Scheme and a third to appoint vice-chancellors directly and withdrawing the power of the Governor by amending the laws governing different state.
Amendments made to the GHMC Act to allow more MLCs to register as ex-officio members of the GHMC have also been challenged. The High Court suspended this GO and has ordered status quo with regard to BRS. It has directed the government not to regularise illegal buildings but allowed it to receive applications for the scheme. The court declared that the appointment of vice chancellors, after amending university laws, would be subject to the outcome of the petition pending before it.
Interestingly, the court also made an oral observation after it came to know that the government has brought out an Ordinance after the court suspended the GO on MLCs as ex-officio members. The court said that it felt prime facie that the government had no power under the AP Reorgnisation Act, 2014 to repeatedly amend an Act which it had adopted. The court observed that this was evident from the action of the government in withdrawing its earlier order on the matter.

Telangana wrests land in Puppalguda

DECCAN CHRONICLE. | S A ISHAQUI

Published Feb 13, 2016, 12:57 am IST

Updated Feb 13, 2016, 2:44 am IST

Hyderabad High Court rules Rs 8,000 crore worth land in favour of Telangana.

 While observing that the CCLA had purportedly exercised its jurisdiction under the DPCR Act, the bench rejected petitions of claimants holding that they are convenient pleas to resist the state and ruled that the petitions of the government are maintainable. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: In the biggest legal victory for the Telangana government since its formation, the Hyderabad High Court on Friday quashed an order allotting 250 acres in Puppalguda near Gachi-bowli and Banjara Hills to private individuals under the Displaced Persons (Compensation & Rehabilitation) Act.
The present market value of the land is estimated at Rs 8,000 crore.
A division Bench comprising acting Chief Justice Dilip B. Bhosale and Justice S.V. Bhatt had allowed petitions of TS challenging the allotment of property by the then chief commissioner of land administration of AP designated under Section 6(1) of Administration of Evacuee Property Act, 1950, on February 26, 2003 and June 28, 2006.
While observing that the CCLA had purportedly exercised its jurisdiction under the DPCR Act, the bench rejected petitions of claimants holding that they are convenient pleas to resist  the state and ruled that the petitions of the government are maintainable.
Allotment orders not based on records: High Court
The legal heirs of Parasuram Ramchand Mangir Malani and and Bhagwandas H. Makhija who were allotted the evacuee land, moved writs against the erstwhile AP government.
The court granted status quo in 2006. In 2007, the interim order was made absolute, directing the government and the allottees not to create any third party interests.
The government contended that the allotments were contrary to the provisions of the DPCR Act and the principles of natural justice. Neither the CCLA nor the secretary of Revenue had powers to entertain the belated claims, the government contended.
Pointing out that a huge scam was involved in the allotments, the bench said, “We are constrained to observe that shades of invisible characters have certainly played a vital role in obtaining the allotment orders impugned in the writ petitions, there is more than what meets the eye.”
The bench quashed the allotment orders holding that they were without jurisdiction, illegal, arbitrary and not based on material available on record. There was no application of mind to the facts of the case and relevant provisions of law, the bench stated.
While observing that the CCLA had purported exercise of his jurisdiction under the DPCR Act, the bench rejected the contention of the claimants and stated: “We hope and trust that the state government, being custodian of public property, will undertake an inquiry into the subject allotment orders and take appropriate action against all the persons responsible for and involved in this scam.”

Women oppose Supreme Court Sharia move

DECCAN CHRONICLE. | S A ISHAQUI

Published Feb 7, 2016, 1:32 am IST

Updated Feb 7, 2016, 1:32 am IST

Dr Muftia Rizwana Zareen, principal of Jamiat-ul-Mominath said marriage of a widow or a divorced woman is encouraged in Islam.

 Supreme Court

Hyderabad: Female Islamic scholars said that the Muslim Personal Law contained safeguards to protect the rights of women. They said they were opposed to the move of the Supreme Court to examine the rights of Muslim women on issues concerning marriage, divorce and maintenance under the personal law.
Dr Rafath Seema, Islamic scholar and Principal of Jamia Riyaz-us-Salihat, said there was a misconception about the system prescribed under the Sharia for divorce and second marriage by men.
Though verbal expression by a husband is enough for a divorce in Sharia, the process needs to pass through three stages, she said.
Consultations between wife and husband, counselling by elders in the family and the community are provided under the Sharia before the divorce.
“There are several instances of misinterpretations of the system of divorce among Muslims. This is taking place due to a  lack of knowledge about the Sharia,” she said.
Dr Muftia Rizwana Zareen, principal of Jamiat-ul-Mominath said marriage of a widow or a divorced woman is encouraged in Islam.
Aquila Khamoshi, member of the Women Personal Law Board, said, “It is not proper for anyone to judge the status a woman enjoys in Islam without having proper understanding. Sharia gives women the right to their due share in inheritance of  property.”

GHMC election results: TRS win is complete

DECCAN CHRONICLE. | CH VM KRISHNA RAO AND SA ISHAQUI

Published Feb 6, 2016, 2:13 am IST

Updated Feb 6, 2016, 2:13 am IST

KCR-led party beats traditional urban-centric political parties in very first GHMC polls it contested.

 Telangana IT minister K.T. Rama Rao is elated after TRS won the GHMC polls. (Photo: DC)

Hyderabad: The TRS, dubbed as a rural party ever since it’s inception 15 years ago, created history on Friday with its near clean sweep in the GHMC polls. It has now established itself as a pan Telangana party with impressive wins in rural, urban and metropolitan areas. TRS candidates won in bastis, posh localities, areas dominated by Seemandhra settlers, in the core city and the peripheries alike. The victory also disproves the belief that Hyderabadis were against the state bifurcation and would not allow the pink party to dominate in the city due to its cosmopolitan entity.
For example, the TD had believed that people living in areas in Cyberabad that was created by AP CM Chandrababu Naidu 20 years ago would remember the contribution and reciprocate by voting for the TD. This also proved false. Similarly the BJP, which used to be called the “Hyderabad party” due to its traditional opposition to Majlis politics and which relied on the urban vote because of PM Narendra Modi’s impact, was also humiliated.
IT minister and the face of the TRS youth in the city, K.T. Rama Rao, indeed worked hard to turn the tide in TRS’ favour.
The party which had contested for the first time in the 2002 MCH elections in 100 divisions as well as in the direct election for the Mayor’s post, had ended up with just one division (Manikyeswari Nagar) and its mayoral candidate Nayani Narasimha Reddy (the present home minister) had come a poor third. When GHMC was formed with 150 divisions and elections were held in 2009, the TRS did not bother to contest the polls stating that it wanted to concentrate on the separate Telangana movement. It also lost three Assembly seats held by it in the by-polls conducted in 2008.
Even in the 2014 Assembly elections it’s performance was poor. It won only two MLA seats out of the 24 in the GHMC area.
However, after coming to power TRS chief K. Chandrashekar Rao planned the party’s victory by inducting local basti leaders from various other parties into the TRS, besides attracting the “basti log” with his newly scripted double bedroom scheme, regularisation of house sites, and 24X7 power supply, which the citizens had not experienced in the last few years.
MIM weathers pink wave; retains numbers
In its stupendous victory, the MIM not only succeeded in demolishing the Congress, its erstwhile ally which attempted to put up a fight, but also wiped out its bitter rival Majlis Bachao Tehreek.
But more importantly the MIM opened its accounts in some divisions in the new city. What is more, the party ensured that the TRS wave did not reach its bastion in the old city. The Congress claims that the MIM would find it difficult to retain its seats this time round fell flat on its face; the Congress campaign failed to move the old city.

MIM party workers celebrating the party’s victory in the Old City on Friday. (Photo: DC)

The Congress banked on Mohammed Ghouse, a former MIM corporator who joined the party recently. Party gave him, his wife and son tickets. Mr Ghouse contested from Puranapul and the clash between MIM and Congress workers in the ward on Tuesday made headlines.
The State Election Commission even ordered repolling in the division. Despite all this, Mr Ghouse and his family lost the elections. The Congress had a friendly alliance with the MIM in the 1986, 2002 and 2009 elections. After the MIM broke up with it, the Congress launched a campaign in the old city, fielding even senior leaders like general secretary Digvijay Singh.
The MIM had fielded its candidates in 60 divisions including 38 which lie in the seven Assembly segments where it has sitting MLAs. Of these, the party has bagged 37 divisions.
It spread its wings a bit, winning two divisions each in Jubilee Hills and Rajendranagar Assembly constituencies, which are represented by the TD, and Goshamahal which is with the BJP.  The MIM won the Shaikpet ward, which is near the IT zone and Bholakpur in Secunderabad, apart from regaining Erragadda division. The Majlis Bachao Tehreek which had won from Azampura in 2009 failed to retain it. Mr Amjad Ullah Khan, the lone MBT corporator, gave his Azampura division to his wife and moved to Akbarbagh. Both of them lost the polls.