Hyderabad cleric's daughter holds meet against Ayodhya verdict, booked for sedition

Huma Islahi said that the Supreme Court judgment was based on faith and not on evidence and facts.

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A leading Muslim cleric's daughter was on Friday booked for sedition, a day after she led a gathering of Muslim women to hold prayers against the Supreme Court judgment in the Ayodhya title suit.

A case was registered against Maulana Abdul Aleem Islahi's daughter Zilla Huma alias Huma Islahi at Saeedabad police station in the old city for organising the prayer and allegedly making provocative statement at Eidgah Ujale Shah.

About 100 women of Saeedabad area had offered the prayers called "Qunoot-e-Nazila".

The case was registered under Indian Penal Code's Sections 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity among groups on grounds of religion), 295 (Deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of a class by insulting its religion or beliefs).

Police Inspector K. Srinivas said no arrests were made in the case yet. "We are examining the video, and other technical evidences to identify the other accused," he said.

Speaking to media after the gathering, Huma said they prayed for restoration of Babri Masjid. She said the Supreme Court judgment was based on faith and not on evidence and facts.

The programme had triggered tension in the area as the police had imposed restrictions to prevent the gathering. The police later allowed a limited number of women to hold the prayers subject to certain conditions.

The gathering was led by Huma, daughter of Maulana Islahi, who is associated with religious group "Wahdat-e-Islami" headed by Maulana Mohammed Naseeruddin.

Maulana Islahi's son Mujahid Saleem was killed in 2004 when a team of Gujarat Police in Hyderabad opened fire to disperse a mob opposing the arrest of Maulana Naseeruddin in the case relating to murder of former Gujarat minister Haren Pandya.

Maulana Naseeruddin and others were later acquitted in the case.