Mumbai : Sparking intense debate and deep unease among Muslims, the Maharashtra government has appointed a non-Muslim IAS officer as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the State Haj Committee (SHC), just as preparations for the annual Haj pilgrimage get underway. According to official sources, Manoj Jadhav, a high-ranking IAS officer, is named the new SHC CEO, replacing Shaikh Ibrahim S. Aslam, who demitted office recently. The appointment is being described by critics as unprecedented in the state’s history, even as state government officials maintain that the SHC CEO’s role is administrative in nature. Unconvinced, community leaders and legal experts point out that the position carries significant religious and operational responsibilities. India sends around 1.75-lakh Haj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia every year, with a substantial majority coordinated through state and central Haj committees. The CEO is directly involved in overseeing the logistics, accommodation, travel schedules, coordination with Saudi authorities, and compliance with religious requirements associated with the Holy Haj pilgrimage. Former SHC Chairman (2014-2018) Alhaj Ebrahim Gulam Nabi Shaikh, said the appointment has raised serious questions over its validity. “There is no provision in either the Central or State Haj Committee Acts that explicitly allows or envisages such an appointment. It is shocking how this decision was taken without consulting all stakeholders. Beyond administration, the CEO must address several religious and community-sensitive issues. Many Muslims are genuinely worried about how this will be handled,” he told The Perfect Voice. Well-known advocate Yusuf Abrahani termed the decision “blatantly illegal” and said it has caused widespread distress. “I am in touch with major Muslim organisations, community leaders, trusts, and clerics across the state. We plan to challenge this appointment in court as early as next week,” he said. Abrahani further noted that the CEO is traditionally expected to travel to Mecca and Medina, engage with Haj authorities, and possess a working understanding of Haj rites, rituals, and Islamic practices. “This is far from being merely an organisational job. The question is not personal competence, but institutional appropriateness and legality,” he added. Muslim intellectual M. Faisal Azmi, whose father, the late Hafiz Naushad Azmi was an ex-SHC Chairman, described the development as ‘absolutely unimaginable’. “It has shaken the entire Muslim community. Senior religious leaders and legal experts are discussing various options to challenge and rectify this,” he said. “This is purely a matter of faith and religious administration of the Muslim community and cannot be tinkered with casually. It must be examined whether the Haj Committee Act permits such an appointment and under what circumstances. If it does not, the decision is clearly open to legal challenge.” SUHAIL KHANDWANI, Managing Trustee, Haji Ali Dargah & Mahim Dargah “It is a matter of deep regret. Muslims are being systematically sidelined from key statutory and official bodies. Now even the Maharashtra State Haj Committee has not been spared. The motives may be questionable, but such actions will not succeed in weakening the community’s resolve.” MAULANA MAHMOOD DARYABDI, General Secretary, All India Ulema Council
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