The Supreme Court on MOnday slapped a fine of Rs 50,000 on ex-Shia board chairman Syed Waseem Rizvi for his PIL seeking the deletion of certain verses from Quran on the ground they allegedly promote hatred & terror.
A bench of Justices Rohinton Fali Nariman, BR Gavai and Hrishikesh Roy called the petition “abslotely frivolous” and imposed costs of Rs. 50,000.
Senior advocate Ravindra Kumar Raizada appeared for Rizvi.
Rizvi, in his plea, alleged that certain verses in the Quran are a threat to the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of the country. He has sought a declaration from the court to hold those verses unconstitutional, non-effective and non-functional.
Earlier, the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) had issued a notice to Rizvi asking him to withdraw his comments on Quran failing which it will hold a hearing and direct authorities to take appropriate legal action against him
“The comments given in the media by you about the deletion of certain verses from the Quran are “highly provocative, objectionable and malicious, prejudicial to maintenance of peace and harmony, with intent to outrage the religious feelings of a particular community and to insult the particular religion,” a notice issued by the NCM said.
