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Court refuses to stay honorarium to Imams
Friday May 04, 2012 08:47:16 PM,
IANS
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Kolkata: The Calcutta
High Court Friday refused to stay the payment of honorarium by the
West Bengal government to Imams in the state till a suit is
pending in court.
The high court was hearing a public interest litigation, filed by
the BJP, which challenges the ex-gratia payment on the ground that
a Supreme Court directive states that salary to an Imam - the male
prayer leader in a mosque - can be paid only from the state Wakf
board fund.
"Although the court refused to stay the payment, it asked the
state government to give an affidavit to take the responsibility
of recovering the amount so paid if the honorarium is held
unconstitutional by the court," Bharatiya Janata Party counsel
Kaushik Chandra said.
The division bench of Chief Justice J.N. Patel and Justice
Sambuddha Chakrabarty also ordered the disbursing authority to
inform the Imams that the honorarium will be paid subject to the
decision of the court.
"If the verdict goes against them, they shall be liable to refund
the money paid to them," added Chandra.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had April 3 announced her
government's plan to pay a monthly honorarium of Rs.2,500 to
around 30,000 Imams in the state. The PIL will be next heard May
6.
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