Supreme Court Seeks Centre’s Response on Plea Challenging Muslim Inheritance Laws

The Supreme Court issued notice to the Central government on a petition challenging the constitutional validity of the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937.

The plea argues that current inheritance rules discriminate against women by granting them smaller shares compared to men, violating equality guarantees under Articles 14 and 15.

While acknowledging the public interest, the bench emphasized the limits of judicial intervention and directed the petitioners to implead aggrieved Muslim women directly affected by these laws.

The Court further remarked that social reforms in religious personal laws should ideally emerge from within the faith itself.

[Poulomi Pavini Shukla v. UOI]