Supreme Court refers to Constitution bench plea over conversion of Parsi woman

The apex court asked the question whether a Parsi woman automatically gets converted to Hinduism after marrying a Hindu man under the Special Marriage Act.
Supreme Court of India
Supreme Court of India

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Monday referred to a five-judge Constitution Bench the legal question on whether a Parsi woman loses her religious identity after marrying a man of different religion under the Special Marriage Act. A woman has challenged the Parsi law, upheld by the Gujarat High Court in 2010, that a Parsi woman marrying a Hindu loses her religious rights in the Parsi community. A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said the larger bench would also consider the scope and width of the ‘triple talaq’ verdict in the present case.

Senior lawyer Indira Jaising, appearing for Goolrokh M Gupta, said ‘the doctrine of custom’ that a woman automatically assumes the religion of her husband, no more held good. In her plea, Gupta challenged the HC judgment which had held that under the Special Marriage Act, a Parsi woman is deemed to be converted to Hinduism after she married a Hindu man.

Foreign funding of parties: HC grants six months to govt

The Delhi High Court Monday granted the government a last opportunity by giving it six months to look into the accounts of political parties, including the Congress and the BJP, for traces of foreign funds. A bench of acting chief justice Gita Mittal and justice C Hari Shankar said it was giving the last opportunity to the Ministry of Home Affairs for complying with the court’s 2014 order, which had found both parties flouting the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) norms by accepting donations from Indian subsidiaries of UK-based Vedanta Resources. “We are concerned with the compliance of the order,” it said. Section 4 of the FCRA prohibits a political party or a legislator from accepting foreign contributions. In 2014, the High Court had ordered the Election Commission and the Ministry of Home Affairs to look into the accounts of political parties and take action within six months.

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