New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday stayed an order passed by the Uttarakhand High Court banning fatwas and barring religious outfits/ bodies and statutory panchayats/ local panchayats/ group of people in the state from issuing such directions.
A Bench of Justices Madan B. Lokur and Deepak Gupta stayed the order on an appeal filed by Islamic organisation, Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind, after hearing its senior counsel Raju Ramachandran.
The HC had passed the order in August on the basis of a news report that a fatwa had been issued for externment of the family of a minor girl who had alleged that she was raped by her neighbour and had become pregnant.
The order said that in the entire state of Uttarakhand all the religious outfits/ bodies and statutory panchayats/ local panchayats/ gro-up of people are banned from issuing fatwas, since it infringes upon the statutory rights, fundamental rights, dignity, status, honour and obligation of individuals.
The appellant assailed the order and said that Darul Ifta is authorised to issue fatwas.
