Meerut: Uttar Pradesh’s minority welfare minister Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary on Saturday termed the sharia courts as “anti-national”, and said that they were a relic of the British Raj and were formed to exploit women of the minority community.During his visit to Muzaffarnagar, the UP cabinet minister said, “Sharia courts are the gift of the British. They infringe on the fundamental rights of women and we strongly oppose them.” He added: “These courts are anti-national and a hindrance to the development of the nation.”The minister’s statement came against the backdrop of a raging debate over All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) member Zafaryab Jilani’s reported remark on opening of Darul-Qaza (sharia courts) in all the districts of the country. However, on Saturday, Jilani denied making any such statement and described the media reports as “misleading”.Meanwhile, UP minister Chaudhary, who was in Muzaffarnagar’s Shukrtal village to attend a religious event, pulled no punches in his attack on the sharia courts.“These courts were started during the British Raj in 1937 as part of their divide and rule policy. They wanted to divide Hindus and Muslims,” Chaudhary said. “How can there be two set of legal systems in a country? These courts are anti-national and anti-women,” he said.However, Zafaryab Jilani told TOI that AIMPLB had no plans to set up sharia courts in all the districts of the country.“I never said that. Darul Qazas are opened on demand in areas where the population of Muslims is large. Its costs Rs 50,000 per month to run a sharia court,” he said, adding that there are 40 sharia courts in the country at present.Seeking to clear the air on the sharia courts, the spokesperson of Darul Uloom, Deoband, said that they never force anyone to follow orders. “Sharia courts only give advice and it has no legal standing,” said Ashraf Usmani.In July 2014, the Supreme Court had said that sharia courts being run by clerics had no legal powers and their decisions could not be enforced on anyone.Muslims approach sharia courts in the matters concerning family life and other personal issues such as marriage and divorce.

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