Fratricidal succession battle takes legal turn; Late Syedna’s half brother Qutbuddin moves HC challenging his nephew Saifuddin’s ascension as Bohra head

 

The affluent Dawoodi Bohra community known for their entrepreneurship is in the limelight, first time post its high profile leader Syedna’s demise in January this year: This time for the succession battle for the coveted post: Dia-al-Mutlaq, the head of the Dawoodi Bohra community. It took legal turn with the late Syedna’s half brother filing a declaratory suit in Bombay High Court on Saturday.

 

The 700-page petition appealed to the court to have Khuzaima Qutbuddin, the half brother, legally declared as the 53rd Dai-al-Mutlaq of the12-lakh strong Bohra community, and simultaneously to restrain his nephew, Mufaddal Saifuddin, from acting as the Dai.

 

 The battle for succession had begun the night the Syedna expired in January this year, with his half brother and his son both claiming be the new community head. The Dai of the Dawoodi Bohra community controls the Dawat-e-Hadiyah,one of the community’s richest trusts worth thousands of crores.

 

Earlier, Khuzaima’s faction had written to the charity commissioners of Maharashtra and Gujarat, seeking that no transfers should be made as regard to the trust’s assets. “We still have to follow upon the complaints made to the charity commissioners,” Khuzaima’s son, Aziz Qutbuddin, said.