PLEA FILED IN SC AGAINST COLONIAL-ERA SHARIAT LAW

A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the validity of the colonial-era Shariat Act of 1937 in matters of marriage, divorce, and succession among Muslims.

- ASHISH SINHA

Petitioner Sabina, wife of late builder and film financer Yusuf M. Lakadawala, filed the plea under Article 32 of the Constitution to enforce her fundamental rights for a just and equitable inheritance of her late husband’s estates. Yusuf Lakadawala passed away while in jail on September 9, 2021.

Sabina contends that her rights were denied under the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act of 1937. The petition seeks a declaration that widows, daughters, and mothers of Muslims who die intestate are entitled to an equitable share of the estates, properties, and assets, similar to other communities such as Hindus, Christians, and Parsis.