Ahmed Bukhari, the Shahi Imam has got a problem on his hand. Delhi Waqf Board, the body vested with the powers to look after the maintenance of the historic Jama Masjid has decided to approach the court against his decision to anoint his 19-year-old son Shaban Bukhari as the Naib Imam. The ceremony called Dastarbandi is slated for November 22 next and it has already earned bad press as Ahmed Bukhari extended invitation to Pakistani premier Nawaz Sharif but refused to extend the same to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Delhi Waqf Board Chairman and five-term Congress MlA from Seelampur Chaudhary Mateen Ahmed did not rule out legal action against Bukhari. The Chairman was emphatic in declaring that Ahmed Bukhari was nothing more than an employee of the Waqf Board. That Jama Masjid is a property of the Delhi Waqf Board has always been a contentious issue. The issue was raised when the then Shahi Imam Abdullah Bukhari anointed his son Ahmed Bukhari as the Naib Imam in 1973.
It may be noted that the Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla has recently criticised Ahmed Bukhari’s decision to anoint his 19-year-old son, Shaban Bukhari, as the Naib Imam or the “deputy Imam”. Not only Delhi Waqf Board that intended to drag Bukhari to the court, some Muslim activists also seek court’s intervention for misusing the mosque for his personal and political gains. Eyebrows have been raised over Shaban Bukhari’s selection, who is famed for his rockstar lifestyle and is said to be ill-equipped to be the Naib Imam. Muslim clerics and some prominent Muslims of the Walled City have also questioned the intellectual level of Shaban Bukhari. Many say he is not that well-versed in Holy Qu’ran.
In a picture circulated in the social media Shaban Bukhari was shown with two of his girlfriends driving a Mercedes Benz. When reached for his side of the story, Shaban defended himself by saying that he will learn the nuances of Holy Qu’ran, Islam and politics for a peaceful society from his father. He however, refused to comment on his flamboyant lifestyle.
It would be interesting to mention here that Delhi Waqf Board had contested a prolonged legal battle against Bukhari in the Delhi High Court in 2005 as well. In its verdict, the court had not only stated that the Jama Masjid was the property of the Board, but also had ruled that Bukhari was an employee of the board. The court had also directed Bukhari not to interfere in Jama Masjid’s historical shape, affairs, building structure, etc., without the board’s approval. About the board’s question regarding Jama Masjid’s income, the court had also directed Bukhari to submit a statement of his income and expenditure of the past 30 years to the board. Bukhari, according to board officers, hasn’t complied with the verdict to this day. According to the board, which is the owner of the mosque as per Waqf Board Property Act, it has not been informed by Bukhari that he plans to transfer his imamat to his son. “It’s a strange case of an employee ignoring his employer and claiming the job is his ancestral property. We will challenge him in court,” said officials.