Credit for Saifee Hospital
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 4:26 pm
Today Sayedna Burhanuddin Saheb is taking undue credit for building a grand Hospital in Bombay. Actual credit for this Hospital today goes to two grandsons of Sir Adamji Peerbhoy namely, Advocate Abid Hatim Merchant and Mansoor Jaffer bhoy Jani. Let us understand this.
Similar to the land of Sir Adamji Peerbhoy Sanatorium Trust on which Saifee Hospital has been built now, Community's another Abdul Kader E Ebrahim Trust and E.A. Currim Trust's land near Byculla in Bombay known as 'Dawood Baugh' was 1130 square worth more than Rs. 300 Crores.
As in case of Sir Adamji Peerbhoy Sanatorium Trust the original trustees of Dawood Baugh were compelled to transfer the entire property in the name of Sayedna Taher Saifuddin.
In 1963 two years before his death Sayedna Taher Saifuddin made an announcement to built a 22 story "Saifee Jubilee Technical Institution" to be constructed at the cost of Rs. 20 Crores. It was a biggest event in the Bohra Community. The photographs of Sayedna with the President of India and other political dignitories were widely publicised. New York times carried a full page paid advertisement. But for years nothing happened and ultimately in 1984 the entire property was sold to one Amir Builders and money pocketed by the Saifee Foundation Trust.
How could the Sayedna's administration publicly cheat a man of the strature of the President of India, the community and the public at large and get away with it?
It was because then the Dawoodi Bohra Reform Movement was not strong enough. There was non like Abid Merchant or Mansoor Jani to pull the Sayedna's trustees in the law courts and compel them to built the technical institution as it is done in the case of Saifee Hospital.
Strangely Mr. Ismail Kanga the son of the famous reformist, late Khan Bahadur Mohammed Ali Kanga, was pushed in June, 1965 as a trustee of Sir Adamji Peerbhoy Sanatorium Trust with "a proposal to construct a Residencial-cum-Hospital Building" on G.S. no. 36 & 37 Maharishi Kurve Road (Charni Road) i.e. on Sir Adamji Peerbhoy Sanatorium Trust land. This was quitely done when Sayedna Tahir Saifuddin had died and entire community was kept busy in mourning and breast-beating.
The trustees by manauvoring the officials in Bombay Municipal Corporation got the plans of "Residencial-cum-Hospital" passed. It will be a shock to the Dawoodi Bohras in general and Muslims in perticular that in this plan a Bank was shown in place of the existing mosque and a ladies' lavatory in place of Sir Adamji's existing Darghah.
In order to demolish the existing structures of Sanatorium buildings, which were registered under Charity Commissioner, court's permission was required. So when the trustees went to the court for permission Sir Adamji's grand son, Abid Merchant came to know about the devilish scheme and halted the efforts of userpers.
Advocate Abid Merchant and Mansoor Jani fought the case in City Civil Court and High Court in Bombay and in Supreme Court at Delhi bearing themselves the entire high cost of the cases. They had the courage and dedication to challenge mighty priesthood. They were alone in front of lawyers and solicitors army of Sayedna. They were cursed, humiliated and discouraged. But they stood firms. All the files brought from B.M.C., Judiciary, Charity Commissioner etc. were stolen from the court room. Sayedna's trustees tried to use Sir Adamji's private plot, backside cemetary land, Sanatorium as Nursing Home etc. but Abid Merchant exposed them in the court and never allowed them to succeed. They were also sucessful in insisting free beds in Saifee Hospital for the Dawoodi Bohras and even for reformist Bohras. They not only fought this case upto the Supreme Court but Mansoor Jani filed a case against the trustees with Charity commissioner for unregistered Saifee Hospital Trust and for not submitting the audited accounts for 13 years, criminal case with Bombay police for illegally transfering the trust money of Sanatorium Trust in the personal accounts of Ali Asghar Kalimuddin and Mudreka Zakiuddin. They caught the trustees on various fronts so much that the Senior Council of Dawat-Hadiya, Mudreka T. Zakiuddin came bagging to them for out of court settlement which they refused. Inspite of all odds they saw to it that Sir Adamji Peerbhoy's name and memory remains and the property is utilised for the benefit of the Humanity.
Similar to the land of Sir Adamji Peerbhoy Sanatorium Trust on which Saifee Hospital has been built now, Community's another Abdul Kader E Ebrahim Trust and E.A. Currim Trust's land near Byculla in Bombay known as 'Dawood Baugh' was 1130 square worth more than Rs. 300 Crores.
As in case of Sir Adamji Peerbhoy Sanatorium Trust the original trustees of Dawood Baugh were compelled to transfer the entire property in the name of Sayedna Taher Saifuddin.
In 1963 two years before his death Sayedna Taher Saifuddin made an announcement to built a 22 story "Saifee Jubilee Technical Institution" to be constructed at the cost of Rs. 20 Crores. It was a biggest event in the Bohra Community. The photographs of Sayedna with the President of India and other political dignitories were widely publicised. New York times carried a full page paid advertisement. But for years nothing happened and ultimately in 1984 the entire property was sold to one Amir Builders and money pocketed by the Saifee Foundation Trust.
How could the Sayedna's administration publicly cheat a man of the strature of the President of India, the community and the public at large and get away with it?
It was because then the Dawoodi Bohra Reform Movement was not strong enough. There was non like Abid Merchant or Mansoor Jani to pull the Sayedna's trustees in the law courts and compel them to built the technical institution as it is done in the case of Saifee Hospital.
Strangely Mr. Ismail Kanga the son of the famous reformist, late Khan Bahadur Mohammed Ali Kanga, was pushed in June, 1965 as a trustee of Sir Adamji Peerbhoy Sanatorium Trust with "a proposal to construct a Residencial-cum-Hospital Building" on G.S. no. 36 & 37 Maharishi Kurve Road (Charni Road) i.e. on Sir Adamji Peerbhoy Sanatorium Trust land. This was quitely done when Sayedna Tahir Saifuddin had died and entire community was kept busy in mourning and breast-beating.
The trustees by manauvoring the officials in Bombay Municipal Corporation got the plans of "Residencial-cum-Hospital" passed. It will be a shock to the Dawoodi Bohras in general and Muslims in perticular that in this plan a Bank was shown in place of the existing mosque and a ladies' lavatory in place of Sir Adamji's existing Darghah.
In order to demolish the existing structures of Sanatorium buildings, which were registered under Charity Commissioner, court's permission was required. So when the trustees went to the court for permission Sir Adamji's grand son, Abid Merchant came to know about the devilish scheme and halted the efforts of userpers.
Advocate Abid Merchant and Mansoor Jani fought the case in City Civil Court and High Court in Bombay and in Supreme Court at Delhi bearing themselves the entire high cost of the cases. They had the courage and dedication to challenge mighty priesthood. They were alone in front of lawyers and solicitors army of Sayedna. They were cursed, humiliated and discouraged. But they stood firms. All the files brought from B.M.C., Judiciary, Charity Commissioner etc. were stolen from the court room. Sayedna's trustees tried to use Sir Adamji's private plot, backside cemetary land, Sanatorium as Nursing Home etc. but Abid Merchant exposed them in the court and never allowed them to succeed. They were also sucessful in insisting free beds in Saifee Hospital for the Dawoodi Bohras and even for reformist Bohras. They not only fought this case upto the Supreme Court but Mansoor Jani filed a case against the trustees with Charity commissioner for unregistered Saifee Hospital Trust and for not submitting the audited accounts for 13 years, criminal case with Bombay police for illegally transfering the trust money of Sanatorium Trust in the personal accounts of Ali Asghar Kalimuddin and Mudreka Zakiuddin. They caught the trustees on various fronts so much that the Senior Council of Dawat-Hadiya, Mudreka T. Zakiuddin came bagging to them for out of court settlement which they refused. Inspite of all odds they saw to it that Sir Adamji Peerbhoy's name and memory remains and the property is utilised for the benefit of the Humanity.
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