New Delhi: A plea by a Malayali woman challenging the application of Muslim personal law in matters of inheritance is among multiple petitions the Supreme Court has agreed to hear on whether Muslims can opt for the secular Indian Succession Act instead of Shariat without renouncing their faith.

Safiya P M, a resident of Alappuzha and general secretary of the ‘Ex-Muslims of Kerala’, had earlier approached the court stating that she is “a non-believer Muslim woman” and wishes to handle her ancestral property “under the succession laws instead of the Shariat”.

On Thursday, a bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar also took up a fresh petition filed by Naushad K K from Thrissur district in Kerala. Naushad has sought to be governed by the Indian Succession Act instead of Shariat while continuing to identify as a Muslim.

The court issued notices to the Centre and the Kerala government, directing them to file their responses. It also ordered that Naushad’s plea be tagged with the other two similar petitions — including the one by Safiya and another pending since 2016, filed by the Quran Sunnat Society.

The apex court will now hear all three cases together, potentially setting the stage for a major verdict on personal law and religious freedom.

PTI