IOS Organises Consultative Meeting on Legal Aid
August 7, 2015 at 162, Jogabai, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi
With a view to providing legal aid to the Muslims of village Atali in Haryana who had been targeted by communal mischief-makers for carrying out repair works in a mosque, a consultative meeting was held at the Institute of Objective Studies (IOS) here on August 7, 2015 under the chairmanship of the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India, Mr. Justice AM Ahmadi. After going into all the aspects of the issue, it was decided at the meeting to file an application in the Supreme Court in this connection invoking Article 32 of the Indian Constitution which guarantees redressal of grievances. It gives the right to an individual to knock at the doors of the Supreme Court for enforcing such guarantee if hurdles were coming in the way. Under this constitutional provision, the court may be approached to direct the government for dispensing justice to the aggrieved in order to restore the majesty of law.
It may be recalled that the land on which the mosque stands in Atali village belongs to the Waqf Board and the repair work was being carried out after obtaining permission of the Supreme Court. But the mischievous elements staged protests and indulged in violence as the government took the stand that the matter was sub-judice. As the affected families were not getting a fair deal from the government, it was felt imperative to move the Supreme Court.
The Chairman of IOS, Dr Mohammad Manzoor Alam said that this was the second meeting in a row to provide legal aid to the victims of violence in Atali village. The meeting especially focused on Article 32 and in order to highlight the importance and the remedies available under it, it was decided to hold a seminar on the subject in the near future, the date of which would be announced shortly, for creating awareness among Muslims. The meeting was attended by lawyer-activists like Ejaz Maqbool, Firoze Khan Ghazi, Mohdammad Tariq Siddiqui, Meraj Ahmed and Shahrukh, besides the Secretary and spokesperson of Jamiatul Ulema-e-Hind, Maulana Abdul Hameed Nomani and the spokesperson of SDPI, Mohammad Arif.
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