In the matter of the International India Islamic Cultural Center (IICC), the Delhi High Court has delivered a historic verdict. The court stated that according to the Memorandum of Association, the life members of the center are its supreme body. No elected official is above its governing body. The court immediately prohibited the elected Board of Trustees and Executive Members from interfering in the center’s affairs. The two-member bench of the High Court, comprising Executive Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Preetam Singh Arora, stated that since January 9, 2024, the term of all elected officials has ended, therefore the court will conduct a special GBM by May 3, in which decisions on all agendas including the age limit of officials will be made, and within 30 days, an annual general body meeting will be called to decide on the election date along with fulfilling other formalities. The Delhi High Court also directed the court observer to finalize the voter list within a week of its decision date.
The life members of the center are quite pleased with the court’s decision. They believe that some individuals dragged the center into court, which not only tarnished its image but also caused it to incur losses of millions. Senior life member Dr. Waris Ahmed Khan expressed his reaction to the court’s decision, stating that the decision has dealt a strong blow to Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Raza, Qamar Ahmed, Jamshed Zaidi, Mohammad Shamim, and Sharafatullah. Since all six officials were still in their positions even after their term ended on January 9, 2024, and were carrying out the center’s work properly. Dr. Waris Khan said that the court’s decision has made it clear that their continuance in office was illegal and inappropriate. In response to the court’s decision, the plaintiff in the case and the president of the center, Sirajuddin Qureshi, said that this victory belongs to the center’s four thousand life members for whom he went to court.
Qureshi stated that his aim was to uphold the dignity of the center in the country and the world. Vice President of the Islamic Center, S.M. Khan said that the court’s decision is in favor of the center. Welcoming the court’s decision, the members of the center, including Padma Shri Prof. J.S. Rajput, Alka Madhok, Abuzar Hussain Khan, Bahar Barki, Sikander Hayat, Safia Begum, Asif Zaidi, Dr. M. Rahmatullah, Shaharyar Khan, Mubeena Abrar, Rizwana Mushtaq, Arif Hussain, Akhtar Adil, Dr. Majid Devbandi, Dinesh Madan, Shafiq Qureshi, Imran Khan, Javed Hussain, Khushro Khan, Hafiz Matloob, Idris Khan, Aslam Javed, Prof. Shamim Ahmed, and Shahana Begum, said that as per the court’s orders, the observer should immediately conduct a special GBM, hold an annual GBM, and conduct elections so that the center’s work can proceed smoothly.”
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