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The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it may consider referring the challenge to the validity of Talaq-e-Hasan, a form of divorce among Muslims in India, to a larger five-judge constitution bench while deprecating the practice of sending notices on the husband's behalf. Through Talaq-e-Hasan, a man can dissolve a marriage by pronouncing the word "talaq" once every month over a three-month period. In 2017, the top court declared Triple Talaq, also a form of divorce prevalent among Muslim community, as unconstitutional after finding it to be arbitrary and violative of fundamental rights of Muslim women. A bench of justices Surya Kant, Ujjal Bhuyan and N Kotiswar Singh which deprecated the practice adopted by Muslim husbands while giving Talaq-e-Hasan under which they authorises any person and mostly lawyer to give divorce notice to their wives on their behalf saying, "should a civilised modern society allow this". Asking the parties to submit notes with regard to types of Talaq which c
The Kerala High Court has observed that it cannot accept multiple marriages of a Muslim man when he has no capacity to maintain his wives, and one of them approaches the court claiming maintenance. The observation was made by Justice P V Kunhikrishnan when a 39-year-old Perinthalmanna native approached the court seeking a monthly maintenance of Rs 10,000 from her husband, who survives by begging. Earlier, the petitioner had approached a Family Court, which dismissed her plea, stating that her 46-year-old husband from Kumbadi, Palakkad, who was surviving on begging, cannot be directed to pay maintenance. The court, in a satirical manner, referred to a Malayalam phrase implying: "Don't put your hand into a begging bowl". The judge noted that the husband was also not a saint. "Even though he is blind and a beggar, as stated by the petitioner, who is his second wife, he has been threatening her that he will soon enter into a third marriage with another woman," the court observed. The
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday claimed that the population of Muslims in Assam will be almost equal to that of the Hindus by 2041 if the current growth rate is maintained. Addressing a press conference after a cabinet meeting here, Sarma claimed that out of around 34 per cent Muslims as per the 2011 Census, 31 per cent were those who had migrated to Assam earlier. When asked if Assamese indigenous people will become a minority after some years, he said, "This is not my take, it is just the Census result. Today as per the 2011 Census, 34 per cent of the population is Muslim." Out of the total Muslim population of the state, three per cent are indigenous Assamese Muslims, Sarma stated. "...then the 31 per cent are the Muslims who had migrated to Assam. And if you project that for 2021, 2031 and 2041, you will come to almost a 50:50 position. I am just stating what the statistical census report says," he claimed. The CM said that empirical data and past census
Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Monday urged Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to raise the issue of alleged Muslim victimisation across the country in the Monsoon session of Parliament, which started on Monday. In a post on X, she alleged that Muslims are being pushed into increasingly desperate situations under the pretext of targeting "Bangladeshis" and "Rohingyas". Disturbing media reports have even suggested that some were forced into the sea in attempts to expel them from India, she added. "Deeply disturbed by the ongoing victimization, dispossession and disempowerment of Muslims on a daily basis - I have written to Rahul Gandhi ji urging him to raise this critical issue in the upcoming Parliament session," Mufti said in the post on X. She said in an environment "increasingly marked by hate and fear", many have "lost hope and feel utterly helpless". "At this moment he stands as a rare source of hope for those who feel
A Chandausi court in Sambhal district on Thursday set July 21 to hear a plea seeking ban on offering of namaz at the disputed Shahi Jama Masjid, which is claimed to be Harihar Temple. The petition sought the ban on offering of Islamic prayers citing its "disputed status". Civil Judge (Senior Division) Aditya Singh took on record the plea filed by one Simran Gupta. The dispute had previously reached the Allahabad High Court, where the Muslim side challenged the subordinate court's order for a survey of the mosque premises. On May 19, however, the high court upheld the trial court's decision and directed that proceedings continue there. The petitioner argued that since the site was deemed disputed by the court, Muslims too should be barred from offering prayers, just as Hindus were restricted from worship. The plea requested that the mosque be sealed and placed under the custody of the Sambhal District Magistrate. Gupta also sought to be made a petitioner on behalf of the Hindu ..
The success of Zohran Mamdani in New York City's Democratic primary for mayor is euphoric for Hari Kondabolu, a stand-up comedian who's been friends with the candidate for 15 years. Mamdani stunned the political establishment when he declared victory in the primary on Tuesday, a ranked choice election in which his strongest competition, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, conceded defeat. When he launched his campaign, the unabashed democratic socialist ranked near the bottom of the pack. Now, the 33-year-old state assemblyman has a chance to be New York City's first Asian American and Muslim mayor. Mamdani's family came to the United States when he was 7, and he became a citizen in 2018. He was born to Indian parents in Kampala, Uganda. For Kondabolu, this moment is not just exciting, but emotional. I think so many of us have had those experiences in New York of being brown and in a city that has always been really diverse and feels like ours. But after 9/11, like you start to ...
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has said the Waqf (Amendment) Act will not only benefit the deprived people belonging to the Muslim community but also protect the interests of tribal communities in the state by preventing land grabbing. He also hit out at the Congress accusing it of failing to introduce caste census despite being in power for 60 years. Waqf board was introduced with the objective of upliftment of economically backward and downtrodden women from the Muslim community and Pasmanda Muslim. However, it did not happen. "The influential people from the Muslim community took the Waqf properties on lease and set up big malls. The rich kept on becoming richer but the poor did not get any benefit, Sai said in an interview to PTI Videos. He said that amending the Waqf law was one of the bold decisions of the prime minister. "We would like to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, who has been taking many bold decisions. This is also one of them. With the introducti
The Supreme Court on Wednesday took strong note of an analogy drawn by the Centre in support of the inclusion of non-Muslims in waqf boards and the argument that by that logic, a bench of Hindu judges should not be hearing pleas related to waqf. The bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Sanjay Kumar and K V Viswanathan was questioning the provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 that allow for the nomination of non-Muslim members to the Central Waqf Council and state waqf boards. "Are you suggesting that minorities, including Muslims, should also be included in boards managing Hindu religious institutions? Please state that openly," the CJI said. Representing the Centre in the matter, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta defended the provisions, emphasising that the inclusion of non-Muslim members is limited and does not affect the predominantly Muslim composition of these bodies. The law officer also said objections to non-Muslim participation coul
The BJP will launch a fortnight-long public awareness campaign, aimed especially at Muslims, from April 20 to publicise the benefits of the Waqf (Amendment) Act and counter the opposition's criticism of it, with party president JP Nadda and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju addressing its delegates on Thursday. BJP office-bearers from across the country attended a workshop here as Nadda accused the opposition parties of misleading Muslims over the provisions of the amended law as part of its vote-bank politics. He asserted that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is determined to make 'pasmanda (backward)' Muslims and women stakeholders in management and welfare programmes of the Waqf with transparent and efficient management of its properties, party sources said. Members of Waqf boards from BJP-ruled states and the party's organisation, including its minority wing, attended the day-long workshop. Nadda said the new law, which came into effect on April 8, would hel
The AIMPLB on Saturday asserted it would lead a nationwide movement against the Waqf (Amendment) Act, in coordination with all religious, community-based and social organisations, and that the campaign would continue until the legislation was fully repealed. Slamming National Democratic Alliance (NDA) constituents such as the JD(U), TDP and the LJP (Ramvilas) that backed the Waqf bill in Parliament, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) said the support extended by certain parties to the BJP's communal agenda had fully exposed their so-called secular facade. In a statement, the AIMPLB emphasised it would lead a nationwide movement against these amendments in coordination with all religious, community-based and social organisations and that the campaign would continue until the amendments were fully repealed. The board reassured the Muslim community of India that there was no need for despair or disappointment. The leadership will not shy away from any sacrifice in this .
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hailed the passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Parliament as a "watershed moment" in the country's collective quest for socio-economic justice, transparency and inclusive growth. He said this will particularly help those who have long remained on the margins, thus being denied both voice and opportunity. In posts on X, he said the Waqf system for decades was synonymous with lack of transparency and accountability, especially harming the interests of Muslim women, poor Muslims and Pasmanda Muslims. He said, "The passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill by both Houses of Parliament marks a watershed moment in our collective quest for socio-economic justice, transparency and inclusive growth." He added that the legislations passed by Parliament will boost transparency and also safeguard people's rights. PM Modi said India will now enter an era where the framework will be more modern and sensitive to social ..
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the Waqf Board, accusing it of land encroachments and asserting that its "arbitrary claims" over public and historical sites would no longer be tolerated. Speaking at a gathering in Prayagraj, Adityanath said, "The Waqf Board had been making baseless claims over lands across cities. Even during the preparations for the Kumbh Mela, they declared that the event's land belonged to them. We had to ask - ?has the Waqf Board turned into a land mafia?" He emphasised that under his government, such encroachments had been removed, and mafias had been driven out of Uttar Pradesh. "Encroachments were made in the name of Waqf at various places, including the sacred land associated with Nishad Raj. But this will not be allowed to continue. A grand and divine Kumbh Mela was organised despite their objections," he said. The chief minister also lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Sha
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday said the "concern" shown by the BJP and its allies during the discussion on the Waqf Amendment Bill would put Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah to shame. His party opposed the BJP's fraudulent stand on the bill and its ploy to take away land and give it to its industrialist friends, he said at a press conference here, hours after the bill was passed by the Lok Sabha. Thackeray, a former BJP ally, said the BJP has won a third term at the Centre and things are going well, yet it is raking up Hindu-Muslim issues. He dared the saffron party to remove the green colour from its party flag if it disliked Muslims. Thackeray also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have told the country about the impending danger of US tariffs and the steps being taken to mitigate it.