The 19-year-old son of the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid was anointed as his successor at a ceremony here on Saturday.
Shaban Bukhari, currently pursuing his academic training in social work from a prominent private university, was anointed Naib or deputy Imam of the 17th century mosque by his father, Syed Ahmad Bukhari.
“I announce Shaban Bukhari as the Naib Imam of Jama Masjid. I hope that he will live up to the expectations,” Syed Ahmed Bukhari said during the ceremony.
The anointment came amid much controversy with three petitions against it having been admitted by the Delhi High Court soon after the announcement of his intent by the Shahi Imam in mid-October.
The Delhi High Court on Friday said that both the ceremony and the anointment held “no legal sanctity.”
The court had, however, refused to stay the ceremony with a Bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice R.S. Endlaw saying that the function was not legal and would not give any ‘special equities’ in their (Imam Bukhari’s) favour.
The Bench even issued a notice to, and sought responses from, the Centre, the Wakf Board and Bukhari on the three PIL petitions challenging the Imam’s decision to appoint his son as Naib Imam.
The court also questioned the Board as to why it had not taken any action against Bukhari till date.
Earlier, the Centre had said that the Mughal-era mosque was a Wakf property and it had to decide how the rule of primogeniture applied on the anointment of the new Shahi Imam, which has come under challenge.
