Centre likely to oppose polygamy, nikah halala, nikah mutah, nikah misyar
New Delhi, June 29: The Central government is likely to support a PIL challenging the constitutional validity of the practice of polygamy, nikah halala (a requirement for a divorced couple to remarry), nikah mutah (temporary marriage in the Shias) and nikah misyar (short-term marriage among Sunnis) among the Muslim community.
The government, which has already taken a strong position against the practice of triple talaq, nikah halala and polygamy on the touchstone of their constitutionality in the Shayara Bano case, is likely to reiterate it when the matter comes up for hearing before the constitution bench, said informed sources.
The Supreme Court on March 26 sought the Central government's response on the plea.
Noting the importance of the issue, the top court had said the matter would be heard by a Constitution bench.
It is a matter of common understanding that when the government opposed instant triple talaq on the grounds of gender equality and justice, it will oppose nikah halala and polygamy on the same grounds, said a source in the Union Law Ministry.
Lawyer Madhavi Divan, who presented the government's stand during the hearing of challenge to instant triple talaq, said that in the Shayara Bano case "the Centre has already taken a strong stand on affidavit" on the issue of triple talaq, nikah halala and polygamy.
The Central government in an affidavit filed in April 2017 described triple talaq, nikah halala and polygamy as "patriarchal values and traditional notions about the role of women in society" that were an impediment to the goal of achieving social democracy.
"The conferment of a social status based on patriarchal values or one that is at the mercy of men-folk is incompatible with the letter and spirit of Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution," the government had said.
"The right of a woman to human dignity, social esteem and self worth are vital facets of her right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution."
Contending that the practice of triple talaq, nikah halala and polygamy were not protected by Article 25(1) guaranteeing right to profess, practice and propagate religion, the government in 2017 said that the "fundamental question (is)... whether in a secular democracy, religion can be a reason to deny equal status and dignity, available to women under the Constitution."
When the government filed the affidavit, the challenge was to triple talaq, nikah halala and polygamy but when the matter was taken up for hearing by the Constitution bench, headed by then Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, the issue was narrowed down to the constitutional validity of instant triple talaq only.
The top court by a majority 3-2 verdict on August 22, 2017 held that triple talaq being practised by the Muslim community was "unconstitutional", "arbitrary" and "not part of Islamic faith".
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You, your kids should learn Kannada: Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu's advice to Bengaluru residents
Bengaluru: Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu waded into the language debate that has gripped the state of Karnataka over the past few months. He recently reacted to a post on X by sharing that people who have made Bengaluru their “home” should know how to speak Kannada. In his opinion, not doing so is “disrespectful.”
The comment was in response to a post featuring two men wearing T-shirts with the phrase "Hindi National Language" written on them, accompanied by the caption, “Perfect T-shirt for Bangalore trip.”
Vembu, in his reply, emphasised the importance of cultural assimilation. Vembu wrote, “If you make Bengaluru your home, you should learn Kannada and your kids should learn Kannada.”
“Not doing so after living many years in Bengaluru is disrespectful. I often request our employees in Chennai coming from other states to make an effort to learn Tamil after they come here,” he added.
Vembu’s comments drew support from some, while others disagreed. "I agree. I took pride in learning Kannada, watching Raj Kumar movies and try to speak Kannada where possible. It's been 25 years now and from salfa salfa barute, now it's become gotila. One day, I do want to learn Tamil and Sanskrit when am back to India," a user said.
However, another user argued that this is immature, adding “being disrespectful for any language, culture is unacceptable but not learning a language is being disrespectful? Logic dies there.”
Another user wrote, “I have many Kannada friends in Mumbai, living here for decades. No one can speak Marathi. Not one word. Fair?”
Sridhar Vembu, whose net worth is estimated at $5.8 billion according to Forbes, is the founder and CEO of Zoho, a company that creates cloud-based business software.
I agree with this sentiment. If you make Bengaluru your home, you should learn Kannada and your kids should learn Kannada.
— Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) November 15, 2024
Not doing so after living many years in Bengaluru is disrespectful.
I often request our employees in Chennai coming from other states to make an effort to… https://t.co/1cIQ47FMjn
