A group of Muslims in Gurgaon went to the Supreme Court after officials failed to stop the constant interruption in Friday prayers. Repeated protests in the city against offering namaz in public spaces compelled a group of Muslims to approach the apex court against the officers of the state.
The outfit – Gurgaon Muslim Council, led by Rajya Sabha MP Mohammad Adeeb has requested the court to “curb the communal and violent tendencies that result in perpetuation of hate crimes.”
The Gurgaon Muslim Council also said, “It will initiate wider legal moves that would include approaching the high court on different aspects that they have brought up, like inadequate space to offer namaz and land not being available to build a mosque.”
The plea differs in that the government has not applied supreme court directions and the state officers are not taking sufficient actions to control the disturbance of namaz.
The supreme court in a hearing in the 2018 case of Tehseen S Poonawalla vs Union of India, had directed the government a three-pronged approach to curb mob violence: preventive measures, remedial measures and punitive measures.
The namaz has been taking place in an open area because no space has been allotted for it by the authorities.
It is also pertinent to note that the open locations used for the limited purpose of performing namaz are not in any manner of encroachment but rather conducted after approval from the relevant government authorities. As many as 37 locations had been designated for the purpose, informed Adeeb to Times of India (TOI).
Since the past three months, the namaz offerings in Gurgaon have time and again been interrupted by Hindutva outfits and locals which is yet another instance of Islamophobia in the country.