<h2>Supreme Court Examines Gender Discrimination in Muslim Inheritance Law</h2> <p>On <strong>16 April 2026</strong>, a three‑judge bench of the <span class="key-term" data-definition="Supreme Court – India’s apex judicial body, final interpreter of the Constitution and guardian of fundamental rights (GS2: Polity)">Supreme Court</span> issued a notice to the Union Government on a writ petition that questions the Muslim personal‑law provisions on inheritance as violative of women’s rights.</p> <h3>Key Developments</h3> <ul> <li>The petition, filed under <span class="key-term" data-definition="Article 32 – Constitutional provision that empowers individuals to approach the Supreme Court for enforcement of fundamental rights (GS2: Polity)">Article 32</span>, is brought by Advocate <strong>Poulomi Pavani Shukla</strong> and the Nyaya Naari Foundation.</li> <li>The bench, comprising <strong>CJI Surya Kant</strong>, <strong>Justice Joymalya Bagchi</strong> and <strong>Justice Vipul Pancholi</strong>, earlier warned against judicial interference in personal law and hinted that a <span class="key-term" data-definition="Uniform Civil Code (UCC) – A proposed common set of personal laws for all citizens, aimed at ensuring gender equality and eliminating religious discrimination (GS2: Polity)">Uniform Civil Code</span> could resolve the dispute.</li> <li>Advocate <strong>Prashant Bhushan</strong> argued that the <span class="key-term" data-definition="Indian Succession Act – Central legislation governing inheritance for non‑Muslims; can be applied to Muslims if personal law is struck down (GS2: Polity)">Indian Succession Act</span> should apply if the court declares the Shariat provisions unconstitutional.</li> <li>The Court asked petitioners to record actual aggrieved persons, emphasizing that real‑world sufferers must be heard.</li> </ul> <h3>Important Facts</h3> <p>The petition challenges Section 2 of the <span class="key-term" data-definition="Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937 – Statute that enforces Islamic personal law on matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance for Muslims in India (GS2: Polity)">Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937</span>, contending that its intestate‑succession rules deny Muslim women equal shares, violating Articles 13, 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution. It also points out that under the current law a Muslim can bequeath at most one‑third of self‑acquired property, restricting testamentary freedom.</p> <p>Similar petitions – <i>Sufiya PM v. Union of India</i> and <i>Naushad K.K v. Union of India</i> – are pending, where individuals seek the application of the <span class="key-term" data-definition="Indian Succession Act – Central legislation governing inheritance for non‑Muslims; can be applied to Muslims if personal law is struck down (GS2: Polity)">Indian Succession Act</span> instead of Shariat law.</p> <h3>UPSC Relevance</h3> <p>This case touches upon several core topics of the UPSC syl