The Delhi High Court on Tuesday decided to hear next week a petition seeking to quash the registration of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen as a political party, ANI reported. The petition accused Asaduddin Owaisi’s party of seeking votes in the name of religion and thinking only of the welfare of Muslims. The petitioner said this violated the principles of secularism as enshrined in the Constitution.

Shiv Sena’s Telangana unit president Tirupati Narasimha Murari filed the petition, seeking to set aside the Election Commission’s June 2014 order that recognises AIMIM as a state political party. Murari claimed that the party ran against the concept of secularism, which is one of the requirements under the Representation of the People Act.

“The declaration given by AIMIM to uphold the secular principles is farce and fraud on the law and the constitution,” the petitioner claimed. He also alleged that AIMIM leaders and workers had abused the “Hindu religion, their gods [and] goddesses” and that several cases have been registered against those party members.