New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought response of the city government on a plea challenging the policy to utilise its consolidated fund to release salaries or honorarium to imams and muezzins of mosques under Delhi Waqf Board and others. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet PS Arora issued notice to the Delhi government, its various departments including finance, planning, and revenue, and Delhi Waqf Board on the petition.
The court granted four weeks to them to file their replies and listed the matter for further hearing on July 22. Petitioner Rukmani Singh said the Constitution provides that the state shall be secular and therefore, cannot favour any particular religion.
However, in the instant case, the practice adopted by the respondent no. 1 (Delhi government) to pay honorarium to few individuals of a particular religious community without considering the financial condition of the similar category of individuals in the other religious community directly contravenes the secular nature of the state and violates Articles 14, 15 (1) and 27, 266 and 282 of the Constitution, the petition said.
