New Delhi, India - Taking strong exception to the Supreme Court verdict directing Orissa Government to provide security to a Muslim couple who wanted to stay together after talaq, the Orissa unit of Jamiat-ul-Ulama on Sunday threatened to ostracise the couple if they went by the apex court decision.
‘‘Supreme Court has no power to intervene in religious matter. The apex court should have confined itself to other litigations. It should have consulted religious institutions and clerics before taking such decision,’’ Aameere Shariat (president) of Jamiat-ul-Ulama Maulana S.S. Sajideen Quasmi said from Cuttack.
‘We will certainly drive the couple out of Muslim society if they stay together defying clerics’ decisions and abide by the Supreme Court verdict,’’ Sajideen said. The Jamiat-ul-Ulama, the highest religious body of the Sunni sect in the state, said it would write to the President of India, the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister and the Law Ministers of both state and Union Governments to look into the matter.
‘‘We are not showing any disrespect to Supreme Court. We will continue to abide by its law. But we will certainly appeal the court to review its decision,’’ he said, adding that it could create ‘‘distrust’’ in the community.
Najma Bibi and Seikh Sher Mohmmed of Orissa’s Bhadrak district had incurred the wrath of clerics after the husband pronounced triple talaq in a drunken state in 2003 but subsequently wanted to stay together. However, SC on April 21 had directed Orissa Government to provide security to the couple who wanted to stay together. ‘‘No one can force them to live separately.,’’ the court observed.