All India Muslim Personal Law Board

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The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) is an organisation constituted in 1973 to adopt suitable strategies for the protection and continued applicability of Muslim Personal Law in India, most importantly, the The Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937, providing for the application of the Islamic Law Code of Shariat to Muslims in India [1] [2]. The AIMPLB was launched as a direct result of the 1978 Shah Bano case, in which the Supreme Court of India granted alimony to the then 69 year old Muslim divorcee, Shah Bano. The orthodox Muslims in India felt threatened by what they perceived as an encroachment of the Muslim Personal Law, and protested loudly at the judgement. Their spokesmen were Muslim community leaders MJ Akbar and Syed Shahabuddin.

AIMPLB is a private body working to protect Muslim personal laws, liaise with and influence the government and guide the general public about crucial issues. The Board has a working committee of 41 ulama representing various schools of thought. In addition to this, it also has a general body of 201 persons of ulama as well as laymen, including about 25 women.

Within the Board, Shias were a minority, as are the Barelvi Sunnis, with the Deobandi Sunnis dominating the Board.

The Board suffered splits when Shias and Muslim Feminists seceded to form their own separate Boards, the All India Shia Personal Law Board & the All India Muslim Women's Personal Law Board ([3]).