A Parsi woman who was denied entry into her place of worship following her marriage with a non-Parsi has got a temporary right to visit the Tower of Silence for her prayers and attend the funeral ceremony of her parents.
This was made possible after the Parsi Trust of Valsad to which she belonged agreed to make an interim concession for the woman petitioner and her sister (who too has married a non-Parsi) after being persuaded to do so by the Supreme Court. However, the question whether a Parsi woman can be denied her Constitutional right to practice her religion despite marrying outside the community still remains for consideration and will be decided by the court next month.
A five-judge Bench had urged the Parsi Trust to consider the case of the Parsi petitioner Goorlokh M Gupta on emotional ground apprehending that till the matter is finally decided, the woman should not be denied from attending the funeral ceremony of her parents who are advanced in age.
Senior advocate Gopal Subramanium who appeared for the Trust presented a two-page memorandum issued on instruction by the Parsi high priest who agreed to make a one-time concession for the petitioner and her sister.
On compassionate grounds, the Trust permitted the petitioner to attend the funeral prayers (Paldust ceremony) of her parents performed inside the prayer hall of the Bungli (bunglow) of the Tower of Silence complex (Doongerwadi) complex at Valsad. The Bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justices AK Sikri, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud and Ashok Bhushan expressed happiness over the rare gesture by the Trust that meets the present requirement of the case.