LETTERS

Minister for minority affairs Salman Khurshid has stated that creation of Wakf cadre is untenable ‘because we do not want to create a different world for the Muslim citizens of our country.’ The Zakat Foundation of India would like to ask Mr Khurshid as to why he has chosen the constitutional institution of ministership to commit unconstitutional discrimination (prohibited in article 15) against Muslim citizens on the basis of their religion. In the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, there are statutory and administrative arrangements in place by virtue of which separate selections are made through provincial Public Service Commissions for special cadres and posts of additional commissioners, joint commissioners, deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners to manage the affairs of the temples and Hindu religious endowments. As per the legal requirement, only those candidates can apply for these positions who profess Hindu religion. The salaries and pensions of these officers are paid out of the consolidated fund of the state concerned. In all the above mentioned states, there is an IAS officer sitting as commissioner and his being Hindu is also a pre-requisite. How does Salman Khurshid reconcile this state of affairs with his refusal to institute the Indian Wakf Service, except through the string of state discrimination whose specific prohibition in article 15 forms the basic fabric of our sacred constitutional structure?
Dr. Syed Zafar Mahmood
President
Zakat Foundation of India
info@zakatindia.org

The Millath Charitable Organisations were established two decades ago to focus on the unfortunate children of the community who are either orphans, destitutes or from indigent families. We are constructing an institution for the physically challenged ( blind, dumb and deaf) children called “Muskaan” at Thannisandra layout Bangalore, north. We are also managing the Apna Ghar Orphanage with 50 inmates, Buzorgoan ka Ghar (Home for the aged) with 20 inmates at Kolar and Apna Ashiana Orphanage with 33 inmates in Bangalore. Food, shelter, medical and educational requirements of the inmates are taken care of through philanthropic contributions from the community. We appeal to the community to contribute their zakat and other donations, so that we can further improve and continue working for this noble cause. The cheques/DD/cash should be in favour of Millath Management Society of India and sent to Millath Management Society of India, Ground Floor, 20, Hameedshah Complex, Cubbonpet Main Road, Bangalore-560002.
Dr Syed Abdus Salaam Musheer
Professor and Head, Department of Commerce, Bishop Cottons Women’s Christian College, Bangalore.
salammusheer@gmail.com

The recently promulgated Supreme Court’s “Revised Norms for Accreditation of the Legal Correspondents in the Supreme Court of India,” makes a law degree mandatory for journalists to cover the Apex Court proceedings. Further it mandates that a journalist should ordinarily have seven years’ Court reporting experience in a daily newspaper and/or a national or international news agency or electronic media organization of which at least five years must be at Supreme Court or at any High Court(s) in India. It is for the first time in history that a law degree has been made mandatory for all reporters covering the Apex Court proceedings. Till now, a reporter, without a law degree, could get a temporary six-months pass and cover the proceedings before the Supreme Court. Editor-in-Chief, First Post, R. Jagannathan comments that the requirement that Supreme Court proceedings can only be covered by people with a law degree defies common sense. If the reasoning behind this new requirement is that reporters sometimes misrepresent what the court says or rules, maybe the Supreme Court should mandate a short, one-day course for court reporters which focuses on the do’s and don’ts or court reporting. A law degree is a waste of everybody’s time.
Shamsul Islam Naz
Ex-Secretary General, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists
sinaz555@hotmail.com