Adequate security in place for Pak prof’s programme: State

Express news service : Mumbai, Fri Mar 16 2012, 00:45 hrs

The state government on Thursday assured the Bombay High Court that there would be no riot-like situation in Mumbai during a programme to be conducted by Pakistani Islamic scholar Tahir-Ul-Qadri.

Qadri was scheduled to deliver a speech on Thursday and March 17 at the Birla Auditorium at New Marine Lines.

Public Prosecutor P A Pol said, “The requisite permissions have been given to the organisers and notices under Section 149 of the Bombay Police Act have been issued to them and also to Raza Academy (petitioners in the case) to ensure that no untoward incident happens. The highest authority is monitoring the lecture and no law and order situation would arise.”

Justices V M Kanade and P D Kode said the people of the city have become wiser over the years. The peace maintained after the Ayodhya verdict was an indication of that, the court said.

Minhaj-ul-Quran, the organisation hosting Qadri also assured the court that the speech would not be anti-India in its content, and that they would try to submit transcripts of the speech to the court by Friday.

The court was hearing a petition filed by the Raza Academy, a social and religious group of Muslims, seeking direction to the police to prohibit Qadri from entering Mumbai. They had apprehended that the speech may be communally sensitive and might lead to law and order problems.

“All the contentions raised by the petitioners have been duly considered before giving the permission,” Pol told the court.

Source : http://www.indianexpress.com/news/adequate-security-in-place-for-pak-profs-programme-state/924376/