On Tuesday, the Bombay High Court dismissed Taher Fakhruddin’s challenge to the succession of Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin as the 53rd spiritual leader of the Dawoodi Bohra community, ending a decade-long legal battle. The Dawoodi Bohra community expressed their satisfaction with the court’s decision, stating that they had anticipated this outcome.
The Bombay High Court has dismissed a decade-long challenge to the leadership of Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, the spiritual head of the Dawoodi Bohra community. The dispute stemmed from the succession process within the community, where the successor to the al-Dai al-Mutlaq (supreme religious leader) is appointed through “divine inspiration”. The rival claimant, Khuzaima Qutbuddin, argued that he had been secretly appointed as successor by the previous al-Dai al-Mutlaq, Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin, in 1965. However, the court found that Qutbuddin’s claim lacked witnesses and that the nass had been subsequently revoked. The court also dismissed Qutbuddin’s argument that as the Dai is “infallible”, the appointment of successor – which had already been conferred upon him – could not have been changed. The court’s verdict reaffirms the authority of Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin and resolves a prolonged legal challenge to his leadership.
The Bombay High Court has dismissed a case challenging Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin’s designation as leader of the Dawoodi Bohra Community. The case, initially brought by Khuzaima Qutbuddin and later taken over by his son Taher Fakhruddin, claimed that Qutbuddin had been secretly anointed as the successor to the previous leader, Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin. Saifuddin maintains that he was given the nass, or conferment of succession, in 2011. The court’s decision focused on the issue of proof rather than faith, and Justice Gautam Patel emphasized his neutrality in order to minimize disruptions within the community.
The Bombay High Court has dismissed the Dawoodi Bohra succession suit, brought forth by late Syedna Khuzaima Qutbuddin and continued by his son Syedna Taher Fakhruddin. The court has concluded that Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin successfully demonstrated his valid appointment as the 53rd Dai Al-Mutlaq by the 52nd Dai.
The Bombay High Court has upheld Syedna Muffadal Saifuddin’s position as the spiritual leader of the Dawoodi Bohra community after a decade-long legal challenge by his challenger, Syedna Taher Fakhruddin. Justice Gautam S Patel ruled that Fakhruddin failed to prove a valid claim to succession through ‘nass’ and that the nass conferred on Saifuddin in 1965 remained valid. The court also held that the suit was maintainable and that the plaintiff could not prove whether nass once conferred could be retracted or superseded.
The Bombay High Court has dismissed a petition challenging the appointment of Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin as the 53rd Syedna of the Dawoodi Bohra community. The court ruled that the challenger, Syedna Taher Fakhruddin, had not provided sufficient proof to support his claim that his uncle was fraudulently appointed. The court emphasized that its decision was based on the issue of proof and did not involve matters of faith.
