PM’s outreach in the House
His emotive farewell to Ghulam Nabi Azad is laced with political symbolism
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi bid farewell to four retiring members of the Rajya Sabha, including senior Congress leader, former Union minister and the leader of the Opposition in the House, Ghulam Nabi Azad. The PM broke down while tracing his own relationship with Mr Azad, in particular the time when as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Azad had called Mr Modi, who was then Gujarat chief minister, to inform him about the terror attack on Gujarati tourists in the Valley.
The episode can be read in two ways. For one — and this is laudable — it indicates that despite the bitter political exchanges that mark proceedings in the House or on television screens during debates, there remains personal warmth and camaraderie between top leaders across the spectrum. A degree of elite harmony is essential for the smooth functioning of democratic institutions. As personal relations have become a victim of political rivalries, Indian democracy has suffered, polarisation has deepened, ugliness has seeped into the discourse, and government-Opposition communication and trust have broken down. Mr Modi’s attempt to convey personal warmth and show that politics need not just be contentious is a good step.
But, at the same time, there appears to be a political subtext in the PM’s outreach. At a time when there is a deepening Hindu-Muslim communal rift as well as trust deficit between the Indian State and the Kashmiri street, was the PM reaching out to Azad — a tall nationalist Muslim leader from Jammu and Kashmir — to send a broader signal of reconciliation to minorities in Kashmir and beyond? At a time when relations between the treasury and Opposition benches are bitter, was the PM — by referring to not just Mr Azad but also speaking of Sharad Pawar with respect — sending a message to the House to find a new mechanism to work together? And at a time when Mr Azad is a prominent dissenter within the Congress, and he remains active politically, was the PM encouraging the G-23, as the group of dissident letter writers in the Congress has come to be known, to persist? Irrespective of motivation, Parliament was enriched by a rare display of cordiality.
CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court has held that a Muslim girl who is less than 18 years old but has attained puberty is free to marry anyone as per the Muslim Personal Law.
A bench of Justice Alka Sarin gave the verdict relying on various court rulings and the article 195 in ‘Principles of Mohammedan Law’, an authoritative textbook by prominent Muslim personal law jurist Sir Dinshah Fardunji Mulla.
Quoting provisions of article 195 in Mulla’s authoritative treatise on Muslim personal laws, the bench observed that a Muslim girl on attaining the age of puberty was competent to enter into a contract of marriage with a person of her choice. Article 195 in the book explains the “capacity (eligibility) for marriage” under the Muslim Personal Law, the bench pointed out, adding that “as per this provision, every Mahomedan (Muslim) of sound mind, who has attained puberty, may enter into a contract of marriage”.
In the absence of evidence, a Muslim girl is presumed to have attained puberty on completing the age of fifteen years, the bench said, quoting the provisions of article 195.
“Lunatics and minors who have not attained puberty may be validly contracted in marriage by their respective guardians,” the bench further elaborated. “The bench said the marriage of a Mahomedan, who has a sound mind and has attained puberty, is void if it has been brought about without his consent,” it added.
Justice Sarin gave the ruling on January 25 on a plea by a Muslim couple, seeking protection of their life and liberty from their respective families, who were against the marriage due to age difference between the man and the girl. The man was 36 years old while the girl was aged only 17 years. The couple told the court that they fell in love about two years ago and solemnised their marriage on January 21 this year, as per the Muslim rites.
The counsel for petitioners argued that “in Muslim law, puberty and majority are one and the same thing and that there is a presumption that a person attains majority at the age of 15 years”. The petitioners also alleged in the court that their life and liberty are in “grave danger” from their relatives due to which they have also sought protection from the Mohali’s senior superintendent of police.
“The Court cannot shut its eyes to the fact that the apprehension of petitioners needs to be addressed. Merely because the petitioners have got married against the wishes of their family members, they cannot possibly be deprived of the fundamental rights as envisaged in the Constitution of India,” the judge observed while directing Mohali SSP to take the necessary action as per law regarding protection to their life and liberty.