The Supreme Court rejected a petition seeking the omission of 26 verses from the Quran, arguing that they violate the rule of the land and foster extremism. Syed Waseem Rizvi, the applicant, is a former chairperson of the Shia Central Board of Waqf in Uttar Pradesh.
In his PIL, Rizvi said that the 26 verses “promote terror,” were not originally part of the Quran, but were inserted in later updates, and hence should be omitted from the holy book.
A bench headed by Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman fined former Shia Waqf Board Chairman Waseem Rizvi Rs 50,000 for allegedly infringing on Muslim religious feelings with his petition in the Supreme Court demanding the abolition of 26 verses of the Quran. According to Live Law, the bench rejected the writ petition, stating that “this is an utterly baseless writ petition,” and levied Rs. 50000 in costs on the complainant for filing the petition.
On March 11, Rizvi filed a petition to delete 26 verses from the Quran that he claims are used as “justifications” by Islamist militant groups for attacks on non-believers/civilians and were not originally included in the holy book but were later added. He said that some Quranic verses are a challenge to the country’s sovereignty, independence, and dignity, and he asked the court to declare certain verses illegal, ineffective, and non-functional.
Because of the verses of the Holy Quran, (more specifically outlined in the Writ Petition), the faith of Islam is rapidly slipping away from its basic ten tenets and is now associated with aggressive actions, militancy, fundamentalism, populism, and terrorism,” the plea said.
Notably, Rizvi’s plea prompted demonstrations around the country in March, and many Muslim community members accused him of damaging their feelings. According to the All India Shia Personal Law Board, Rizwi’s petition was an insult to Muslims all over the world, and it had a huge impact on them.
Although Rizvi often takes stances that agree with the BJP on divisive issues, leaders from the ruling party, including former Union Minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, have condemned his latest move. “I thoroughly oppose and denounce Wasim Rizvi’s petition to remove 26 verses from the Quran. “It is the position of my party that saying ridiculous things about any religious book, including the Quran, is a highly condemnable act,” Hussain said.
