Qila Qazi, 40 deputies suspended

HYDERABAD: Toughening its stand against erring qazis, the government suspended the sadr (chief) qazi of Qila Mohammednagar , Mohammed Najmuddin Hussain, along with his 40 deputies.
Issuing a GO dated October 5, 2011, the minority welfare department suspended his services and that of his deputies for a period of six months for failing to prevent the marriage of a minor girl with a Sudanese national some time ago.
The marriage had been performed by an assistant of deputy qazi Syed Abdur Rahman. During the inquiry , Hussain maintained that the marriage did not violate any Islamic law. He also pleaded that the assistant of Abdur Rahman had not been appointed by him and, therefore, he was not responsible if the latter had violated any law.
Though the GO is silent on the names of qazis who would take over the services in Qila Mohammednagar while Hussain is under suspension, a government official said the people could approach three additional qazis who were appointed by the government about three years ago in that area.
“The department is in the process of preparing another GO to specify the names and duties of the qazis who would be given full additional charge of the Qila area,” he said.
There are 14 qazis in Hyderabad who are recognized by the government. Each qazi, who is known as the s a d rqazi of his area, appoints deputies and the n i k a hreaders. Qila Mohammednagar is said to be biggest territory that spreads over large parts of Hyderabad, RR district and Medak. Qazi Hussain is said to have about 40 deputies and n i k a h readers under his jurisdiction.
Three of his former deputies—Mohammed Zaheeruddin, Syed Lateef Ali Qadri and Habib Abdur Rahman—rebelled against him and were appointed in 2008 as additional qazis by the government.
In the recent past, several incidents have come to light where qazis or their deputies have been found involved in performing marriages between minor Hyderabadi girls and aged Arabs.