Court Battles

Soon after his ascension in 1915, religious dissenters found common cause with purse-proud reformers who had the agenda of meeting the challenges of the modern world by relinquishing the community’s religiosity and embracing Westernism blindly. Jointly, they resorted to the British and Indian courts to give credence to their views by attacking fundamental principles of the faith. Syedna Taher Saifuddin met them unflinchingly, comforted in the knowledge that the truth will always prevail, even in a secular court. As always, he was proved correct and despite being subjected to over 30 major cases, his stand was vindicated at every step.

In the first and perhaps most unique case, popularly known as the Chandabhai Gulla Case, he was asked to appear at the witness box personally. He did so and in the process, earned the admiration of his adversaries and judges alike. The case was well prepared by the enemies of the community, appealing to the modernism of the day and concealing menaces to religion with coatings of benignity. But the discerning Syedna Taher Saifuddin quickly saw through them, never lost sight of their real agenda and steered the proceedings to ultimately convince the court of their heretical views.