Can Muslims be governed by Indian succession law instead of Shariat? SC to examine

NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to examine whether a Muslim can opt out of being governed by Sharaiat and instead choose Indian succession law to deal with ancestral properties without renouncing their faith.

a bench of CJI Sanjiv Khanna and justice Sanjay Khanna issued notices to Centre and the Kerala government and asked them to file their responses on the petition filed by Naushad K K, a resident of Kerala's Thrissur district.

The bench also ordered tagging of the petition with similar pending cases on the issue.

Earlier in April last year, SC had agreed to consider a plea of Safiya P M, a resident of Alappuzha and general secretary of 'Ex-Muslims of Kerala', that she is a non-believer Muslim woman and wanted to deal with her ancestral properties under the succession laws instead of Shariat

Another similar plea filed in 2016 by 'Quran Sunnat Society' is also pending in the top court which will now hear the three petitions together.