This refers to the editorial, “Congress’s ban plight” (December 2). Another mistake committed by the Rajiv Gandhi Government was to undo the justice done by the Supreme Court to Shah Bano.
In response to a lawsuit filed by her in the Supreme Court, the court had allowed her the right to alimony from her husband and she was entitled to maintenance from her former husband under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
However, the Rajiv Gandhi Government surrendered to the Muslim Personal law Board’s campaign against the judgement and got Parliament to amend the law. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986, nullified the apex court’s judgement and allowed maintenance to a divorced Muslim woman only during the Iddat, the period a woman must observe after the death of her spouse or after a divorce, or till 90 days after the divorce.