Connect with us
Wednesday,17-September-2025
Breaking News

National News

Supreme Court notice on pleas against polygamy & nikah halala, hearing to begin in Oct

Published

on

A Supreme Court Constitution bench on Tuesday issued notice on a batch of pleas for striking down practice of polygamy and nikah halala in Muslims and scheduled the hearing on petitions after the Dusshera holidays.

Nine petitions challenging these practices were listed on Tuesday for hearing before a five-judge bench comprising Justices Indira Banerjee, Hemant Gupta, Surya Kant, M.M. Sundresh and Sudhanshu Dhulia.

The petitions have been filed by Muslim women and advocate Ashwini Upadhyay has challenged the constitutional validity of the polygamy and nikah halala. These cases were referred to the 5-judge bench by a 3-judge bench in March 2018.

On Tuesday, the apex court issued notices to the Central government, National Commission for Women, National Commission for Minorities, Law Commission, etc., and scheduled the matter for hearing after Dussehra holidays.

Upadhyay’s plea said the injury caused to the women as practice of triple talaq, polygamy and nikah halala is violative of Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution and injurious to public order, morality, and health. The plea sought a direction to declare Section 2 of the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937, unconstitutional and violative of Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution, insofar as it seeks to recognise polygamy and nikah-halala.

“It is well settled that Common Law has primacy over the Personal Laws. Hence, this Hon’ble Court may declare that — Triple talaq is cruelty under Section 498A of the IPC, 1860, nikah halala is rape under Section 375 of the IPC,1860, and Polygamy is an offence under Section 494 of the IPC,1860,” said Upadhyay’s plea.

In August 2017, the top court held that the Muslim practice of ‘triple talaq’ is unconstitutional and struck it down by 3:2 majority. Polygamy allows a Muslim man to have four wives, and once a Muslim woman has been divorced, her husband is not permitted to take her back even if he had pronounced talaq under the influence of any intoxicant, unless his wife undergoes nikah halala, which involves her marriage with another man, who subsequently divorces her so that her previous husband can remarry her.

In 2017 verdict, the apex court had kept open the issue of polygamy and ‘nikah halala’, while quashing the practice of ‘triple talaq’. “It is submitted that religious leaders and priests like imams, maulvis, etc. who propagate, support and authorize practices like Talaq-E-Bidat, nikah halala and Polygamy are grossly misusing their position, influence and power to subject the Muslim women to such gross practices which treats them as chattel, thereby violating their basic rights enshrined in Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution”, said Upadhyay’s plea.

Maharashtra

Mumbai: 32-Year-Old Woman Dies By Suicide In Santacruz; Partner Takes Body To Parents’ Home

Published

on

Mumbai: A 32-year-old woman, identified as Farhana Khan, allegedly died by suicide after hanging herself from a ceiling fan at her residence in the Davri Nagar locality of Vakola, Santacruz East, on Monday afternoon, police said.

According to officials, following the incident, Khan’s live-in partner did not inform the police or seek medical help. Instead, he transported her body to her parents’ home, as reported by news agency PTI. The Vakola police have registered a case and are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident. Further details are awaited.

In another tragic incident of suicide in the city, a 34-year-old man was found hanging at his residence in Andheri West on Monday. The deceased has been identified as Manish Thombare, who worked with a private company and lived in Sai Baba Society, Gaondevi Dongari.

According to DN Nagar police, the incident occurred between 11:30 pm. on Sunday and 11:30 am on Monday. Thombare lived with his brother and sister-in-law. He had gone to sleep in an upstairs room, and when he failed to come downstairs the next morning, his brother went to check on him and found him hanging from the ceiling fan with a saree.

He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead. His body was later sent to Cooper Hospital in Vile Parle (West) for a post-mortem examination. Preliminary investigations suggest that Thombare was suffering from depression due to family issues. He was married in 2022 but got divorced four months ago. He had no children. An Accidental Death Report (ADR) has been registered, and further investigation is underway.

Continue Reading

National News

Supreme Court Cancels Bail Of Chhota Rajan In 2001 Mumbai Hotelier Murder Case

Published

on

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday cancelled the bail of mafia don Rajendra S. Nikalje, alias Chhota Rajan, in the 2001 sensational murder of Mumbai hotelier Jaya Shetty.

A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta allowed the special leave petition (SLP) filed by CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) challenging a Bombay High Court’s order granting bail to Chhota Rajan and suspended his life sentence.

The Justice Nath-led Bench noted the submission of Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S.V. Raju, who appeared on CBI’s behalf, that Chhota Rajan stood convicted in four other cases and remained absconding for around 27 years.

After a Special MCOCA Court convicted Rajan and others in the sensational murder case and handed him his second life sentence in nearly nine years, Rajan filed an appeal before the Bombay High Court.

In October last year, a Bench of Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Prithviraj K. Chavan suspended the sentence pending disposal of the criminal appeal and ordered his release on bail. However, Rajan could not avail the benefit of bail as he is already serving a life sentence in New Delhi’s Tihar Central Jail for the 2011 daylight murder of crime journalist Jyotirmoy Dey at Powai.

The Shetty murder case was among the dossier of 71 major offences that were handed over by the CBI to the Indonesian government after Rajan was nabbed in the tourist haven of Bali and subsequently deported to India in November 2015.

Shetty, the owner of the Golden Crown Hotel in south Mumbai, was shot dead by two gunmen on May 4, 2001, with the hit ordered by Rajan, a bitter rival of the absconder terrorist don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, triggering a huge sensation in the hospitality and political circles.

After the long trial, the Special MCOCA Court Special Judge A. M. Patil found Rajan guilty and sentenced him to life in jail, along with the other accused, Rahul Pansare, Ajay Mohite, and Pramod Dhonde.

Shetty had become a victim in an alleged extortion case and had been provided with police security, which was withdrawn a couple of months before he was targeted and killed.

Continue Reading

Maharashtra

Mumbai: Red Paint Thrown At Meenatai Thackeray’s Statue At Shivaji Park; Raj Thackeray Visits Site, Uddhav Expected Soon

Published

on

Mumbai: Political tensions emerged at Dadar’s Shivaji Park on Wednesday after miscreants threw red paint on bust of Meenatai Thackeray’s- Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray’s wife. The bust is located at the entrance of the park. Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) workers reached the spot and removed the paint. The incident took place early morning. By afternoon, Sena UBT workers put garlands on the Meenatai’s bust after cleaning it.

As per locals, there is a security guard always deployed 24/7 at the park and expressed surprise at the incident. MNS Chief Raj Thackeray, who resides in Dadar’s Shivaji Park, went to the site of the desecration after being made aware of the incident and took stock of the situation. As per locals, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray will also visit Shivaji Park later in the afternoon.

As per reports, CCTV footage from the area shows a person near the statue around the time of the incident. Investigations are underway to establish the identity of the individual. No formal complaint with the police has been registered so far.

The iconic Shivaji Park ground holds historic importance, socially as well as politically. The park also houses late Balasaheb Thackeray’s memorial next to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue inside the ground.

As per the tradition, the ground will hold Shiv Sena UBT’s Dussehra melave next month.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending