Muslim World News On-line
Date of Publication: May 2000
INDONESIAN MUSLIMS FOR GLOBAL PEACE AND JUSTICE
Bismillaahirrahmaanirrahiim.
Assalamu'alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarokaatuh
INDIAN SUPREME COURT RULES ON BIGAMY BY HINDU AFTER REVERSION
INDIA (Islam Online)-In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court of India has
again ruled that a Hindu man*s second marriage after reverting to Islam,
without first dissolving the first one will be invalid and hence illegal.
"The second marriage would be void in terms of the provisions of Section
494 of the Indian Penal Code and the apostate husband would be guilty of
the offence of bigamy under Section 494 IPC," the court ruled.
Justices Saghir Ahmed and R.P.Sethi in separate but concurring judgments
dismissed the petition filed by various persons and Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind (an
organization of Indian Ulema) seeking a review of an earlier judgment.
The Judges observed that even under Islamic law plurality of marriages is
not unconditionally granted to the husband. Therefore they held that it
will be doing injustice to Islamic law to urge that the revert is entitled
to practice bigamy notwithstanding the continuance of his marriage under
the law to which he belonged before his reversion.
"The progressive outlook and wider approach of Islamic law cannot be
permitted to be squeezed and narrowed by unscrupulous litigants apparently
indulging in lust sought to be quenched by illegal means and who apparently
are found to be guilty of the offence under the law to which they belonged
before their alleged conversion," the judges observed.
The court said Islam, which is a pious, progressive and respected religion
with a rational outlook, "cannot be given a narrow concept as has been
tried to be done by the alleged violators of the law."
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SECURITY CLAMPDOWN IN KASHMIR
SRINAGAR, India, May 8 (AFP) - The government in the troubled Indian state
of Kashmir switched Monday from its winter to summer seat of power, amid
tight security and concerns over possible suicide attacks by Muslim groups.
The government offices shift twice every year, with the six months of
winter spent in Jammu and the summer months in Srinagar.
Security concerns appeared justified when police discovered and made safe a
car laden with explosives about 500 meters (yards) from the government
secretariat compound in Srinagar late Sunday night.
On Monday morning, access roads to the secretariat were closed to normal
traffic as government employees were ferried to work. The same process will
be followed every morning and afternoon for the next six months.
Heavily armed security personnel stopped and searched vehicles at random,
while army patrols were out in force in residential areas around the
government offices.
"I have never seen security like this," said local resident Murifat Qadri.
"I had to walk to work this morning, as the security forces prevented me
taking out my car." Schools in Srinagar have changed their class timetables
in order to avoid the traffic restrictions.
The government employees were ferried to work in special buses from
fortified residential hotels where they stay during the summer session.
Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah and Chief Secretary Ashok Jaitley arrived at
the secretariat in a bullet- and landmine-proof car, and undertook an
inspection tour of security arrangements in individual government offices.
"All necessary security measures have been taken," said a police officer on
duty at the secretariat. "All visitors and employees are being frisked, and
we have sniffer dogs and bomb-detecting equipment in constant use."
Camouflaged security bunkers and reinforced painted barriers have been
thrown up around the government offices in Srinagar, as well as military
installations, amid concerns over possible suicide attacks.
Pan Islamic guerrilla organizations such as the Jash-e-Muhammed and
Lashker-i-Toiba have threatened to carry out attacks similar to one last
month on the army headquarters here, when a man drove a bomb-laden car at
the compound, triggering the explosives before he could penetrate the
perimeter.
It was the first such suicide bomb attack since the launch of the armed
Islamic movement struggling for an independent Islamic state in Kashmir in
1989, and fuelled fears that Islamists were adopting the same devastating
tactics used by Tamil Tiger opposition in neighboring Sri Lanka.
"Every entry point has more than two teams keeping vigil from different
angles to foil any attempt by suicide squads or bombers, who may try to
penetrate the area," a police officer said.
Armed troops with bulletproof jackets have also been stationed inside all
main government offices. Intelligence sources say the security forces are
taking the threat of more suicide bomb attacks very seriously this year,
following an escalation of Islamist activity.
The civil secretariat has been a favorite target of the Islamists since the
early 1990s. A spate of grenade attacks on the secretariat offices last
year claimed the lives of two government employees. The struggle against
Indian rule in the divided Himalayan territory of Kashmir has claimed more
than 25,000 lives since 1989.
Wassalamu'alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarokaatuh
(DI-10/05/00)
Source : Islam on-line & BBC
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