In response to a petition over the government’s allocation of Rs 2.45 crore to the Tablighi Jamaat for the purpose of holding a state-wide ijtema in Vikarabad, the Telangana High Court on Wednesday, January served notices to the State’s Chief Secretary, State Minority Welfare Department, Waqf Board, and the District Collector of Vikarabad.
The Islamic gathering is slated to take place on January 6–8 in Pargi, Vikarabad, Telangana.
The petitioner has argued that as the Tablighi Jamaat is a private NGO, it would be unlawful, arbitrary, and in violation of Articles 19, 25, and 27 of the Constitution as well as the Waqf Act if the State were to provide funding to it to organise an ijtema.
The petitioner also brought forward incidents of alleged communal violence that occurred at earlier similar events before Justice Nagesh Bheemakapa’s bench. The next hearing has been posted for January 23.
The Waqf Board, on the directions of the Telangana State Minority Welfare Department in October, is responsible for the distribution of cash for the ijtema by, Tablighi Jamaat, under G.O. No. 123 of 2023.
The G.O. states that the authorization is for the provision of specific public works, such as the installation of pipelines from ponds to utility areas, the construction of sumps and roads, the provision of water, the installation of electricity transformers for a continuous power supply, and the authorization of maintenance involving personnel, tractors, trolleys, and other equipment.
VHP demands cancellation of Tablighi Jamaat meet in Telangana
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Saturday, December 23, demanded that the Telangana police cancel the ‘Tablighi Jamaat’ meeting to be held near Parigi in Vikarabad next month.
A delegation of VHP leaders met Ravi Gupta, Telangana DGP on Saturday and submitted a memorandum to him stating that Indian society has not yet forgotten the fact that COVID-19 spread in the country due to the Tabligi Jamaat meeting held in Delhi in the year 2020. “Organizations like this should be banned which aim to destroy the tradition of Hindu culture by inciting the youth.”
The VHP leaders said it is ‘unconstitutional’ for the Telangana government to allocate funds to organizations, like Tablighi Jamaat, that they claimed engaged in “anti-social activities, and anti-Hindu activities and spew hatred against Indian existence.”
“What is the point of allocating funds to religious fanatics in a secular country?” said the VHP leaders.
The VHP demanded immediate cancellation of the Jamaat meetings and the government orders of grant of Rs. 2.45 crore for various development works linked to the meeting.
“Otherwise agitation programs will be held under the auspices of Vishwa Hindu Parishad,” said Pandarinath.
