The Supreme Court slams Sharia courts

The Supreme Court took a step in the right direction when it said that Sharia courts run by clerics have no legal sanctity and that their fatwas are not binding on anyone

It is a verdict that will positively impact the lives of more than 160 million Muslims in the country. The Supreme Court took a step in the right direction when it said that Sharia courts run by clerics have no legal sanctity and that their fatwas are not binding on anyone.

‘Religion cannot be allowed to be merciless to the victim. Faith cannot be used as [a] dehumanising force. Fatwas touching upon the rights of an individual at the instance of rank strangers may cause irreparable damage and therefore, would be absolutely uncalled for. It shall be in violation of basic human rights. It cannot be used to punish[the] innocent,’ stated a bench of Justices CK Prasad and Pinaki Chandra Ghose.

The bench also called upon bodies such as Dar-ul Qaza, Dar-ul-Iftaa and Dar-ul-Uloom Deoband to refrainfrom giving verdicts or issuing fatwas against a person on the basis of complaints by strangers. The court said Islamic judges can only pronounce rulings when individuals submit voluntarily to their decisions; fatwas are not legally enforceable.

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