Gurugram Namaz case: SC agrees to list ex MP's plea for contempt action against Haryana officials

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to list for hearing a plea by former Rajya Sabha MP Mohammad Adeeb for contempt action against Haryana officers for their alleged failure to prevent incidents revolving around Friday namaz prayers in plots in Gurugram.

The case was mentioned before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana for urgent listing of the matter by senior advocate Indira Jaising.

The Bench also comprising Justices AS Bopanna and Hima Kohli said it will list the matter before the appropriate Bench.

"This is a contempt action against Haryana officers for inaction to curb communal incidents. This is not based on newspaper reports. There are preventive measures laid down," Jaisingh said.

The contempt petition was filed by former Rajya Sabha MP Mohammad Adeeb stating that Haryana authorities have failed to comply with the directions issued by the Supreme Court in the case, where it had issued a slew of directions in 2018 to control and prevent the increasing number of hate crimes, including mob violence and lynching.

The contempt plea had said that in the few recent months, there has been a constant rise in incidents revolving around the Friday prayers offered by Muslims at the behest of certain "identifiable hooligans", who portray themselves falsely in the name of religion and seek to create an atmosphere of hatred and prejudice against one community across the city.

The contempt petition had sought action against the Chief Secretary and the Director-General of Police of State of Haryana, Sanjeev Kaushal IAS and PK Agrawal IPS respectively.

Later, Surjit Singh Yadav, Vice President of Hindu Sena, filed an application opposing the contempt action against officers of the Haryana government for their alleged inaction against the disruptions of namaz prayers in Gurugram.

Yadav, filing intervention also sought directions on refreshment from offering namaz on public property in the Districts of Gurugram, Haryana.

"That the judgement rendered by this Court in the case of Tehseen S. Poonawalla is law of the land and each and every citizen in respective caste and religion have to follow. Therefore, in grab of offering namaz prayer, they cannot create a situation which sets out a platform for others to lodge a protest," the application had stated.

It had added, "Indian society is a society of multi-religious people and therefore, members of each community have to follow the principle of self-restraint to maintain law and order situation. The Applicant has experienced that the assembly of a large number of people at one place to show religious supremacy creates a situation for law and order problems. Therefore, the Petitioner and his associate must impose upon themselves self restrain from encroaching public land or public property for offering namaz prayer."

( With inputs from ANI )