IndiaLaw and crime
Supreme Court petition challenges Mizoram marriage law as discriminatory
A petition in the Supreme Court has challenged the constitutional validity of Mizoram's 2014 Mizo Marriage, Divorce and Inheritance of Property Act, calling it discriminatory against Mizo women who marry outside the community.
Meriam L Hrangchal, an entrepreneur and Congress functionary, has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the Mizo Marriage, Divorce and Inheritance of Property Act, 2014. The Act, enacted by the Congress government led by Lal Thanhawla, codified customary law and applies to any person belonging to a Mizo tribe, including marriages where the male member is from a Mizo tribe.
Hrangchal, daughter of former deputy chief minister Lalhmingthanga, argued before a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant that the law is "misogynistic and pro-Mizo men." The petition contends that the Act denies Mizo women who marry outside the Mizo community access to a comprehensive community-specific statutory framework for marriage, property and inheritance, thereby infringing their right to equality, dignity and personal liberty under the Constitution.
The Supreme Court has not yet issued a ruling on the petition. The case raises questions about the compatibility of customary laws with constitutional guarantees of equality and personal liberty.
IndiaLaw and crime
Supreme Court petition challenges Mizoram marriage law as discriminatory
A petition in the Supreme Court has challenged the constitutional validity of Mizoram's 2014 Mizo Marriage, Divorce and Inheritance of Property Act, calling it discriminatory against Mizo women who marry outside the community.
Meriam L Hrangchal, an entrepreneur and Congress functionary, has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the Mizo Marriage, Divorce and Inheritance of Property Act, 2014. The Act, enacted by the Congress government led by Lal Thanhawla, codified customary law and applies to any person belonging to a Mizo tribe, including marriages where the male member is from a Mizo tribe.
Hrangchal, daughter of former deputy chief minister Lalhmingthanga, argued before a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant that the law is "misogynistic and pro-Mizo men." The petition contends that the Act denies Mizo women who marry outside the Mizo community access to a comprehensive community-specific statutory framework for marriage, property and inheritance, thereby infringing their right to equality, dignity and personal liberty under the Constitution.
The Supreme Court has not yet issued a ruling on the petition. The case raises questions about the compatibility of customary laws with constitutional guarantees of equality and personal liberty.