KOZHIKODE: They could not have chosen a more appropriate date. C Shukkur, a prominent lawyer from Kanhangad, and his wife Dr Sheena, former pro-VC of Mahatma Gandhi University, will remarry on March 8 — International Women’s Day — to ensure their daughters get their entire property.
For this, the couple, who got married under Sharia law on October 6, 1994, have now chosen the Special Marriage Act.“We are constrained to take this step to ensure our three girl children get our property,” Shukkur told TNIE.
According to the Muslim Personal Law prevailing in the country, daughters will get only two-thirds of the share of a father’s property, with the rest going to his brothers, said Shukkur, who even acted in the 2022 film Nna Thaan Case Kodu.
“The inheritance certificate issued by the tahsildar has my brothers as heirs. This happens because we have no male progeny. This is blatant violation of women’s rights and brazen discrimination,” he said.
‘Regrettable that right to equality is denied to a Muslim’s daughters’
“As per Section 14 of the Constitution, all have equal rights irrespective of religion, caste or gender. It is highly regrettable that this right is denied to the daughters of a practising Muslim,” Shukkur said. “I have met with accidents twice, from which I had narrow escapes. This had me thinking about what would happen after I left the world. I want my girl children to be the sole heirs of my property,” he said.
Shukkur says that according to the Principles of Muhammadan Law written by D H Mulla, which is the basis of court orders on Muslim inheritance, girl children will get two-thirds of the father’s property while his brothers will get the remaining portion. He believes the only solution for Muslims to overcome this is to opt for the Special Marriage Act passed by Parliament in 1954.
“Our marriage was solemnised by the late Panakkad Syed Hyder Ali Shihab Thangal at Naseema Manzil in Cheruvathur in 1994. We will perform the marriage again at the Hosdurg sub-registrar office on March 8 in the presence of family members and friends. The Special Marriage Act says that the succession to the property of any person solemnised under the Act will be governed by the Indian Succession Act,” he said.
Shukkur said he had given 30 days’ notice, which is mandatory for marriages under the Special Marriage Act, on February 3. “All are equal before Allah and our Constitution. Let equality spread in every aspect of life,” said Shukkur.