-Raheem Khan
Jaipur: Despite the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court staying the Madhi Gram Sabha’s decision to ban Muslim shopkeepers from the Kanifnath Yatra, the Gram Sabha officials did not allow them to set up stalls. Congress National Secretary Shahnawaz Alam called it contempt of court and demanded the panchayat officials’ arrest.
In a press release, Alam stated that Article 15 prohibits discrimination based on religion, caste, race, sex, or birthplace. He argued that the Gram Sabha’s ban directly defied the Constitution, warranting its dissolution and sedition charges against its officials.
He criticized the Bombay High Court, saying victims were forced to write to the Chief Justice for action against those defying the Constitution and judiciary. He stressed that the court should have taken suo motu action.
Alam accused the Aurangabad bench of mere “lip service” by imposing a stay on March 11. Instead of a stay, it should have jailed those who passed the resolution. He claimed the court’s leniency emboldened communal elements, raising suspicions of judicial complicity in advancing the RSS’s divisive agenda and fueling communal violence.
