Madurai. Even after 75 years of independence, it is painful to see discrimination in burial of the dead, said High Court Judge.
Petition filed in the High Court by Mohammad Rasheed of Putthanatham near Thuvarankurichi, Trichy District. There is a Sunnathwal Jamaat mosque in Putthanatham. Near this mosque there is a burial ground for Muslims.
There is a difference of opinion between the administration of the Sunnathwal Jamaat mosque and the Tawheed Jamaat organization of Tamil Nadu regarding worship and adherence to Islamic methodology.
Due to this, they refuse to bury the body of my father Sikandar Basha, who died due to physical ailments, in the Palliwasal public cemetery or at the place of Tawheed Jamaat. When this petition had already come up for hearing, it was ordered that the body of the petitioner’s father should be buried in the public cemetery owned by Puthanantham Sunnathwal Jamaat.
When this petition came up for hearing again, it was reported by the petitioner that the administration of Sunnathwal Jamaat is obstructing the burial of the body in violation of the court order.
The order issued by the judge – It is painful to see discrimination in burial of dead bodies even after 75 years of independence. It is not acceptable for each sect to ask for burial separately. Senior advocate Lajapathirai is appointed to assist the court in this case. Waqf Board Secretary is added as respondent.
Why should the local administration not maintain the cemetery to bury all the dead Muslims living in Puthanatham area in one public cemetery? The judge adjourned the hearing to August 18, ordering the Waqf Board and District Collector to respond.