Four weeks to respondents on PIL for banning Shariat courts:SC

New Delhi, Nov 6 (UNI) The Supreme Court today granted four weeks to the respondents, including Dar-ul-Deoband, to file their response to a PIL seeking directions of the court to ban Shariat courts on the ground that they were running their parallel judiciary in the country.

A bench comprising Justices A R Lakshmanan and Altamas Kabir was told by Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium that there was nothing wrong with the Shariat courts as these courts were only acting as negotiators or conciliators in matrimonial matters and not as criminal courts. Hence the government has no objection to their continuation.

The Government in its counter-affidavit also told the apex court that ''fatwas'' issued by muftis were only advisory in nature and do not compel any person to follow them and do not prevent anybody from approaching the courts.

Shariat courts are set under the Muslim Personal Law and act in accordance with the holy Quran.

The petitioner Vishwa Lochan Madan has, however, contended that Shariat courts were running a parallel judicial system which was not permissible under law and should, therefore, be immediately banned.

UNI AKS/SC SI DB2051