SC ruling on rights of daughters reinstates faith in Judiciary: Valli

Fighting a lone boardroom battle at the Rs 36,000-crore Murugappa Group previously headed by her late father, US-based Valli Arunachalam had called for a public debate on bias against women in family

Fighting a lone boardroom battle at the Rs 36,000-crore Murugappa Group previously headed by her late father, US-based Valli Arunachalam welcomed apex court ruling in favour of rights of daughters to have a share in a Hindu Undivided Family property and said it reinstates faith in the judiciary.

Valli, the older daughter of former executive chairman M V Murugappan, had made the remarks after she was denied a board berth in the group holding company, Ambadi Investments (AIL).

Despite her mother and sister holding 8.15 per cent share in AIL, they were not provided with a board seat in the holding company of Murugappa Group, the Murugappa scion had alleged.

Valli had earlier said the situation would perhaps have been different had she not been a woman.

Commenting on the landmark judgment of the Supreme Court on Tuesday ruling in favour of rights of daughters to have a share in a Hindu Undivided Family property, Valli said: “It is a great day for all Indian women. The judgment further reinstates faith in the judicial system by making it loud and clear that daughters can no longer be deprived of their rights to ancestral property, no matter when they were born. Women in the patriarchal system have been fighting an uphill battle for a long time to get equal rights in all spheres — succession, work, and social status. This is a welcome step in the right direction and gives us the much needed momentum to continue striving for gender equality