Shah Bano Before Shah Bano

When Indira Gandhi Government Brought An Act Of Parliament To 'Restore' AMU's Minority Status

Court delivers a judgment on an issue related to the minorities —> Vocal section of minorities protest —> Union Government, headed by a Congress prime minister brings in a law to overturn the judicial verdict.

Where have we heard that before?

Correct, the Shah Bano case.

But what if I told you, dear reader, that there was a 'Shah Bano' before 'Shah Bano'?

Do you know that in 1967, a Supreme Court judgment had effectively declared that the Aligarh Muslim University was NOT a minority institution? This was followed by protests from Muslim groups and eventually in 1981, the then Indira Gandhi government introduced an Act in Parliament to undo the effects of the '67 verdict.

This is the story of that 1981 Amendment: https://swarajyamag.com/politics/amus-minority-status-rests-on-the-1981-amendment-heres-all-about-it-you-need-to-know

Until next time,

Raghu