Moghal descendant claims rights over the tombs of Emperor Shahjahan and Queen Mumtaj Mahal in Taj Mahal

By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad: Yakub Habeebuddin Tucy, a city-based descendent of last  Moghal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar has knocked at the doors of  Supreme Court seeking temporary injunction order permitting him to preside  over the Urs celebrations of Shahjahan and Mumtaj Mahal at their tombs in  the Taj.
The Urs falls on January 25 and 26 next year and Habeebuddin Tucy claims  that only the family members of the Moghal emperors have the right to  preside over the religious ceremony. So far, the Archaeological Survey of  India has been celebrating the Urs.
Habeebuddin shot into national limelight a few months ago when he filed a  case in Allahabad High Court seeking direction to the Central government  that the Taj Mahal belonged to him by virtue of his lineage to the Moghal  emperors.
"The ASI has the jurisdiction over only the protection part of the Taj Mahal. It has no right to interfere in religious ceremonies. As legal descendants of  the Moghal emperors, only we have the right to supervise over the religious  ceremonies," Habeebuddin observed.
Habeebuddin's advocate M Irshad Hanif told this correspondent from Delhi  on telephone that the Supreme Court had registered their petition. It may  come up for hearing next week. "Our contention is that there should be a Taj  Act on the lines of the Rajghat Samadhi Act 1951, Dargah Khwaja Sahib Act 1955 and Rampur Raza Library Act 1975. In all these Acts, the descendants  have been given permission to supervise over the religious ceremonies  though the protection and maintenance part vests with ASI, Central  government and Wakf Board," he said.
Hanif said they had prayed for declaration of the Taj Mahal as a Wakf  property and permission to Yakub Tucy to be the incharge of the Urs. "We  are not asking for the mutavalliship. We are just seeking supervision over the  religious functions," he clarified.

Muslim body sets up blood bank in Hyderabad to meet shortage of blood

By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad:  The Islamic Academy For Comparative Religion has 
launched a mission in the city to create awareness in the Muslim youth on the 
importance of blood donation and promotion of communal harmony.
The Academy has created a computerised database of blood donors to 
provide blood to needy patients in and around the city. It wants to enrol as 
many as 5000 volunteers to begin with and create a mega bank of blood 
donors in the long run.
"There is a general misconception in the Muslim community that one should 
not donate blood. This is wrong. Donation of blood to save the life a person 
is very much a part of Islamic practice as the Holy Quran says that saving one 
human life is like saving the whole of mankind," observes Academy 
president Mohammed Asifuddin.
A round-the-clock control room has been set up for enrolment of volunteers 
and appeals for blood. This will be a continuous and on-site help for all who 
need blood. This help will be free and available for all irrespective of caste, 
creed, age or gender, he said.
"Once a call is received the nearest volunteer with the matching blood details 
will drop in at the spot in minutes to donate blood. The donors will be 
carefully picked up after a comprehensive scrutiny of all personal health 
records. The volunteers will be in the age group of 18-35 years. Each 
volunteer will be permitted to donate blood only twice a year," he said.
The Academy will promote the concept of blood donation through sermons 
in mosques, madarasas and other Islamic institutions.