Omkar Dattatray
The issue of wearing or not wearing Burqa is pending in the High court of Karnataka and as such is sub-judice and so the people belonging to different faiths should not raise this sensitive issue till the final judgment on the issue will not be delivered. All the people should abide by the law and not take law into their hands, as matter is being deliberated by the high court. The court has given the instructions to the state government of Karnataka wherein it has asked the government that no student should come to school in a religious attire and dress till final judgment will be delivered. The high court has also asked the government to open the schools for regular class work. Since the sensitive matter of Burqa is sub-judice and so the different parties and stakeholders should not stoke further controversy and therefore the people should abide by the court orders and do nothing which will precipitate the matter and desist from politicking on this issue which has the potential to disturb the communal harmony in the country. Therefore, people should not take the law into their hands and trust the high court where the matter is pending. The top court-supreme court of the country has declined to hear the appeal against the verdict of the high court on the ground that the high court has not given its interim judgment in the matter and the case regarding Burqa issue is pending in the high court and therefore there is no question of hearing the appeal against the decision of the high court as it has not delivered its interim verdict. The top court has also commented that the Burqa issue should not be politicized and also not to be made a religious issue and therefore no religious angle should be attached to the issue in question. Thus the issue of wearing of the Burqa should neither be politicized nor made a religious issue so that no communal and religious passions should be raised on this issue of sensitive matter. The Supreme court has also said that it is for the protection of the fundamental rights of the people and is the guardian of the peoples’ rights and so it will hear the case relating to Burqa at the appropriate and opportune time in future and till then all people should observe utmost restraint so that the communal passions are not raised and the communal harmony is not disturbed and mutual brotherhood is upheld and kept intact. In our plural, secular, multi religious and multi cultural society there is no place for raising religious passions of the people and people belonging to various faiths live like brothers and sisters and therefore nothing should be done which will disturb the communal amity in the country. Therefore till the sensitive case of Burqa controversy is heard by the supreme court at the appropriate time, no one should stoke communal and sectarian feelings on the issue which is pending in the court of law. So all are required to abide by the law of the land and not take law into its hands but wait till the important and sensitive issue is decided by the highest court. But as of now, the Supreme court has declined to hear the appeal against the order of the high court and it has agreed to hear the case at the appropriate time. Thus till the case of Burqa controversy is decided by the top court all the parties should show utmost restraint so that communal amity and mutual brotherhood is kept intact. The youth congress has also filed a petition in the Supreme court and has petitioned that the case of Burqa involves the basic question of the fundamental rights and has appealed the court to pronounce the verdict on the question of involving of the fundamental rights in the Burqa case. Therefore what is required is that all the stakeholders and parties should observe restraint and do nothing which will have the potential of disturbing the communal amity and harmony in the country. It is everybody’s knowledge that when any issue is sub-judice and pending in the court of law, it should not be raised by the public till the matter is not decided by the court and on the same analogy no one should either raise the issue of Burqa controversy in public nor politicize it as doing so has the danger of disturbing the religious harmony and mutual brotherhood. Therefore no one should stoke communal passions on the sensitive issue of the wearing or not wearing of Burqa. Since we are living in a secular democracy and so for upholding of the secularism and secular tenets the issue of Burqa controversy should not be raised and the matter should best be allowed to be resolved by the judiciary and all citizens should abide by the judgment of the court when it is delivered in future. Therefore the instant case of the Burqa controversy needs to be settled in the court of the law so that an amicable decision will be delivered at the appropriate time and till then all should observe maximum restraint in the interest of maintaining communal harmony and mutual brotherhood. So, what is needed is that all the people should abide by the law of the land and not take law into its hands so that religious harmony is maintained for flourishing of the multi religious culture and religious harmony. Thus it the bounden duty of us all to help the powers in the maintaining of the communal amity and mutual brotherhood and for this we should contribute our bit for preserving of the mutual brotherhood and communal harmony in our multi religious country.
Secularism and pluralism which is so dear to all of us should be maintained at all costs so that the people belonging to various faiths continue to live like brothers and so for as the flourishing of the secularism and pluralism is concerned, all of us should give our valuable contribution so that the tenets of secularism are strengthened. So it is the duty of all of us to work for the growth and flourishing of the multi religious culture of India and for upholding the secularism and tolerance we should contribute our might so that secularism and multi religious culture of the country is kept safe and intact. For this all the responsible citizens should contribute towards it so that communal amity is always maintained.
The Burqa politics and controversy should not be allowed to be raised by the vested political parties more so when the elections are round the corner. Therefore there should be no politics over the issue of wearing or not wearing the Burqa.
No one should be allowed to politicize the issue for political expediency and vested interests. It is very sad that Jammat Ulmai Hind has assembled a large number of Muslim women in Malegawo Maharashtra and incited and provoked them to protest in favour of Burqa but this should not be allowed to happen when the matter is sub-juduice. All should abide by the law of the land and not politicize the sensitive issue. No religious and political organization should be allowed to exploit gullible masses on the issue of wearing Burqa and it is so good that a case has been filed against the leaders of Jammati Ulammie Hind by Maharashtra police. The selfish politicians are raking the issue of the Burqa and thus dividing the country on religious issues, the division of the country cannot be allowed on the basis of religion.
The Chief Minister of Assam Hemant Biswas Sharma has no issue with the Burqa but he wants that the students should go to school in proper dress code and uniform. The BJP leader and centre minister Giriraj Singh has favoured the application of uniform civil code for all Indians and he says that the time is ripe for having a common civil code for all Indians. To conclude we can say that there should be no Bawal and politics on the sensitive issue of wearing or not wearing the Hijab by the Muslim women as we are living in the twenty first century and should not be regressive and retrograde anymore and should focus on development.
Yes we should appreciate having freedom so for as the culinary habits of the people belonging to different faiths is concerned and so for as the freedom of attire and dress is concerned but then the students should go to school in proper uniform only and not in religious dress so that the spirit of uniformity and equality is fostered in the country. Anyway no politics should be allowed on the issue of Burqa and all those exploiting the gullible masses on the issue of wearing the Burqa should be dealt with iron hand so that they will not succeed in dividing our multi religious society. For the flourishing of the Ganga -Jammni Tehzeeb, we should allow diversity in uniformity.
(The author is retired Education Officer and Columnist).