Qazis bring back the Arabian 'knightmares'

Md A Basith / TNN / Feb 12, 2006, 01:26 IST

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The suspended qazis are once again busy striking contract marriage deals between impoverished Muslim girls and wealthy Arabs.

Qazis bring back the Arabian 'knightmares'

HYDERABAD: They are back to 'business' again. After lying low for several months, the suspended qazis and their deputies are once again busy striking contract marriage deals between impoverished Muslim girls and wealthy Arabs seeking temporary amusement.
Dozens of tottering Arabs, who fly in from Dubai and Sharjah for some business work in Hyderabad, also go in search of brides for a week of pleasure or so and then leave the city.
Greedy touts wait outside the airport for the oil-rich Arabs looking for prospective brides and whisk them to the labyrinthine bylanes of the Old City. Here marriages are solemnised clandestinely and then dissolved in no time.
Sources said several marriages between elderly Arabs and young Hyderabadi Muslim girls happen every day. Police, however, claim there has been a significant fall in contract marriages. In the recent past, no cases have been booked, Bhavaninagar inspector A Pradeep Kumar said. As per the State Wakf Board, the marriage of a Muslim girl with an Arab cannot be performed without its consent.

But that's not happening. "They are just reading out the nikah as a formality. No certificates or forms are being given to the parties," a Wakf Board official told ToI.
Not just this, the qazis and their deputies are violating every rule in the book to earn a fast buck. Qazis are demanding more money for rendering their services which is against the Wakf Board norms.
They take their own sweet time in issuing marriage documents. Qazis are not supposed to seek marriage fees from the family of the bride.

They should take the money from the groom and it should not be more than Rs 325. It includes the share of the chief qazi, the subordinate qazi, travelling conveyance and fees to be paid to the Wakf Board for stationery supplied to the qazis.
"It's a clear case of blackmailing. They demand thousands of rupees. Because of prestige, the grooms give in to the demands of qazis," said Abdul Qayyum of Mehdipatnam whose complaint against a sub-ordinate qazi of Gunfoundry is pending for the last two years.
Usually a chief qazi does not perform the marriage. Subordinates appointed by the qazi like deputy qazi or qari-un-nikah perform the rituals. The chief qazi attends the head office and monitors the functioning besides collecting the charges.
As the Qazi Act dates back to 1880 and since no amendments have been made, the qazis are misusing their authority. The Wakf Board remains a mute witness to all this as it does not have any evidence to prove a case against the qazis. Also it does not have powers to either suspend or sack the erring qazis. As per the Qazi Act, only government can take action.
Sources in the minority welfare department said there are several cases pending against qazis in the court, but in many cases they are able to seek a stay due to loopholes in the existing Act.
"We receive several complaints against the misbehaviour of qazis with the people. We have set certain guidelines. People should read the application forms before giving them money.
The rich have no problems, but it is the poor families which are suffering," said chief executive officer of the board Peerzada Ahmed Ali.
There are also complaints that qazis take separate fees for issuing marriage documents. "There is no need to pay separate fees for the documents. The Wakf Board charges Rs 50 for issuing a marriage certificate," he said.

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