UP: Men with two wives can't become Urdu teachers

The Uttar Pradesh government has barred men with two wives from applying for the post of Urdu teachers in schools, a move that has raised the hackles of Muslim Personal Law Board, which said it violated the Islamic law.

The government order says candidates applying for the post must reveal their marital status and all those with two living wives would not be eligible. Women candidates married to a man with two surviving wives have also been barred from applying.

The notice for appointment of 3,500 Urdu teachers in primary schools was issued recently.

The Muslim Personal Law Board has said the order was violative of Islamic law and rights of Muslims.

"Government cannot impose such conditions when it comes to recruitment of staff. There is a provision for four marriages in Islam, even though just about one per cent of Muslim men have two wives. Even so, such conditions should not become part of the job application process," Imam of Lucknow’s Eidgah and member of the Muslim Personal Law Board Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali said.

"If the government has other issues, we can think of solutions," he said.

Reached for comments, UP basic education minister Ahmad Hasan said the condition has been imposed to prevent confusion over who should get pension in the event of the employee’s death.

"This has been done to remove confusion as to who should be the beneficiary in the case of the employee's death," he said.

Mahali, however, offered a solution to end the confusion, saying if a Muslim employee leaves behind two wives, the government can divide the pension between the two.

An Education department official said the provision was not meant for Urdu teachers alone but government teachers. 

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