Female genital mutilation case: Hearing to continue on Aug 27

The Supreme Court on Monday set August 27 as the date for further hearing in the Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) case.

FGM or 'khatna' is a process involving the removal of skin from the clitoral hood of women of at an age between six and 12. It is generally practiced in the Dawoodi Bohra community.

The lawyer appearing for Dawoodi Bohra community told the three-judge bench of the Apex Court, headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, that it the tradition had been prevalent for the last 1,400 years.

He also argued that there is no gender discrimination in it, as the males of the community are also made to undergo the procedures of genital mutilation.

The Apex Court said that Constitutional ideological principles will be followed and that they will scrutinise the health hazards due to this practice.

The court also observed that the lawyer's argument of the practice being 1,400 years old was baseless; adding that they will see it from a constitutional angle and decide whether this kind of tradition is actually a part of a religion or it was just to please the males of the community.

The United Nations General Assembly had passed a resolution in December 2012, wherein it banned the practice of FGM.