Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has criticised the Modi government's move to bring in an ordinance to amend the Enemy Property Law, saying it is undemocratic and infringes upon the fundamental rights of citizens, and is meant to harass minorities.
“Legislation via ordinance should be adopted only under special circumstances and the government's anxiety to push to amend the Enemy Property law in such a hurried manner raises serious doubts over its real intentions,” said Jamaat Secretary General Muhammad Salim Engineer.
He also pointed out the reported reservations of President Pranab Mukherjee over the repeated re-promulgation of the ordinance that seeks to amend the 50-year-old Enemy Property Law.
The Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2016, Engineer said, was handed over to a select committee after it met with opposition in the Rajya Sabha. He said many MPs were of the view that the Bill violated basic principles of natural justice, human rights and settled principles of law.
“It adversely affects and results in punishing Indian citizens and will have no effect on any enemy nation,” Engineer said.
The Jamaat-e-Islami has alleged that the ordinance is meant to harass minorities and hence should be condemned. The argument given by it is that the ordinance will have an impact on the law of succession and inheritance and hence it infringes upon the fundamental rights of citizens.
“It will also affect their personal laws and is therefore unacceptable. The Muslim community of India will face maximum brunt of this ordinance. It can be subverted in a subtle way to create enmity against the Muslim community by terming their legally inherited property as enemy property, which is not in the interest of society and the nation,” Engineer said. He demanded that the government pass such amendments in a democratic manner through Parliament.
