Shafeeq R. Mahajir

Shafeeq Rehman Mahajir is one of India’s most prominent human rights lawyers having more recently appeared on behalf of victims in a commission hearing into the police firings and human rights violations at Makkah Masjid in Hyderabad.

He graduated from the University of London and Osmania University with degrees in Law and has over 25 years of experience working in international institutions. Through his writings and lectures he has contributed substantially to minority and human rights discourses. He has presented papers before select groups such as the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the issues of Wakfs (Endowments), Special Economic Zones, Interest Free Banking, Minority Rights in Educational and Employment Areas, participated in seminars on matters such as the Sachar Commission Report and the Ranganath Mishra Commission  Report, and has also contributed to the proposed Communal Violence (Prevention, Control & Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill.

“Judiciary and the State in Times of Violence: The Mecca Masjid Case”

Abstract

On 18 May 2007, a bomb blast occurred in Mecca Masjid, the most important mosque in Hyderabad. Fourteen people were reported dead in the immediate aftermath, of whom five were killed by the police firing after the incident. The incident triggered a wave of arrest of Muslim young men in Hyderabad. Legal defense mounted by attorneys to defend the accused in this case revealed insights into the role and operation of the AP state police and the judiciary. By this case study, I wish to demonstrate the design and functioning of two state institutions when dealing with politically and ethno-religiously charged cases in India.

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