New Delhi, Apr 17 (UNI) A Muslim man has approached the Supreme Court seeking a declaration that his inheritance should be governed by the Indian Succession Act, 1925, rather than Muslim personal law (Shariat).
The plea was filed by Naushad KK, who appeared as petitioner-in-person before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar.
During the hearing, the Court observed that a similar matter titled Sufiya PM v. Union of India is already pending adjudication. In that case, petitioner Sufiya PM has sought the application of the Indian Succession Act to Muslims who have renounced Islam, arguing that they should not be bound by Muslim personal law on issues of succession and inheritance.
Prashant Padmanabhan, Advocate-on-Record in the Sufiya PM matter, informed the bench that there are key differences between the two petitions.
While Sufiya PM had renounced her faith, the current petitioner, Naushad KK, continues to practise Islam. Padmanabhan also brought to the Court’s attention another pending case a Special Leave Petition filed by the Quran Sunnath Society in 2016, which challenges Section 58 of the Indian Succession Act. This section explicitly excludes Muslims from the Act’s application.
In the Sufiya PM case, the Union Government had stated in October 2024 that the issue of extending the Indian Succession Act to Muslims falls under the legislative domain of Parliament.
