Congress: Those giving it political colour are playing games

NEW DELHI: Congress spokesperson and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi welcomed the Supreme Court order on maintenance rights of Muslim women but cautioned that those "mischievously and deliberately" reading politics into the judgment were unnecessarily playing games. Mahila Congress president Alka Lamba too welcomed the judgment, which she said would provide justice to women in need, irrespective of their religion.

Singhvi said it was too late in the day for the petitioner, as he did in this case, to argue that the right to maintenance and support as provided in the secular law did not apply to married Muslim women as that had been decided several times earlier and the SC was only "reiterating, reapplying and reinforcing" the established law of the land.

"The obligation to support a married woman applies irrespective of religion and is gender specific for the help of women but is religion neutral. That is what the SC has said and the judgment deserves to be welcomed," Singhvi said.

"It is an established principle of law which has been applied in a specific case by the Supreme Court and should not be made to acquire political hues and colours as some quarters are trying to do," he added.

Lamba said, "The judgment has seen women as women, and not their religion. I have spoken to many women from the Muslim community and they are very happy. This judgment will ensure that women are not dependent in life, and can bring up their children and look after themselves independently. The judgment should be implemented immediately."