ISSN (Print) - 0012-9976 | ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846

Articles by Jyoti PunwaniSubscribe to Jyoti Punwani

Triple Talaq Judgment and After

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s move to push a law criminalising triple talaq has been met with mixed responses. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board has been campaigning against the judgment and law by evoking fears of a uniform civil code and mobilising mass rallies of Muslim women across the country. On the other hand, Muslim women and civil society have been asserting their opposition to triple talaq while negotiating with the state on suitable forms of legislation.

When Even Memory of a Riot Dies

Although the 1992–93 Mumbai riots, following the demolition of the Babri Masjid, were investigated by an inquiry commission headed by Justice B N Srikrishna, there have been hardly any convictions even as some victims doggedly fight on for justice. This article traces the journey for justice of victims of the Bombay riots in the face of the indifference of successive state governments and the convoluted justice system.

Muslim Women: Historic Demand for Change

The question of triple talaq is once again in the news and has triggered a national debate. This is not as a reaction to a fatwa or a judgment, but because the issue has been raised by Muslim women and is also being discussed in the Supreme Court. This debate has led to two unprecedented developments in September. The chairman of the Andhra Pradesh (AP) Minorities Commission, Abid Rasool Khan, announced to the press that he had written to the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) to stop supporting triple talaq, a common form of divorce among Indian Sunni Muslims, by which a wife is...

Muslim Women: Historic Demand for Change

A number of Muslim women and their organisations are part of the national debate on ending the system of triple talaq. Triggered by the public interest litigation currently being heard in the Supreme Court, this represents a major change from the past when individuals like Shah Bano went to court raising issues around marriage and divorce procedures for Muslim women. What remains unchanged is the position of the ulema and the All Indian Muslim Personal Law Board.

The Many Faces of S G Vasudev

S G Vasudev, the painter who got the Karnataka government to hand over an old heritage bungalow to house the National Gallery of Modern Art in Bengaluru, is a sensitive iconoclast. 

 

Jai Sri Ram, Salaam Aleykum, Bajrangi Bhaijaan

The blockbuster Bajrangi Bhaijaan rescues Hinduism from Hindutva and restores it to what it remains to a large extent even today--a loose faith which in some ways embodies the spirit of "live and let live."

Yakub's Tragedy

The hanging of Yakub Memon betrays the trust of the Indian state in his return of the wealth of information he had provided against the perpetrators of the Bombay bomb blasts of 1993.

The Man Who Returned

The state betrayed Yakub Memon, a man who maintained his decision to surrender and cooperate with investigative authorities till the very end. 

Maharashtra's Beef Ban

The Bharatiya Janata Party has claimed that it has merely fulfilled a long-pending promise to the electorate by bringing in a law banning the sale, purchase and possession of beef in Maharashtra. The arguments given by the proponents of the ban fail to stand scrutiny and it seems to have been pushed only to attack the dietary habits and livelihoods of Muslims, Dalits, Christians and other beef-consuming communities. Interestingly, it may well have negative consequences for the rural economy too.

Steps against Violence

For Sheema Kirmani, Pakistan’s most famous classical dancer, dance is a weapon against religious fanaticism and the terrorising of women.

Continuing Agony of Kandhamal

Breaking the Shackled Silence: Unheard Voices of Women from Kandhamal (first edition) by Saumya Uma, published by National Alliance of Women, Odisha chapter, 2014.

Myths and Prejudices about 'Love Jihad'

The case histories of seven Muslim-Hindu couples not only give the lie to assertions of the "love-jihad" propagandists, they also bust a lot of generallyaccepted anti-Muslim prejudices.

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