5 Judges, 5 Faiths: Take a Look at the Triple Talaq Constitution Bench

http://www.news18.com/news/judiciary/5-judges-5...

The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down instant triple talaq terming it “unconstitutional". The constitution bench, headed by the Chief Justice JS Khehar, delivered a spilt verdict (3:2) invalidating the practice as part of the Muslim Personal Law.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down the practice of instant triple talaq by a 3:2 majority on Tuesday. A five-judge bench heard the seven petitions challenging the 1,400-year-old practice and termed it unconstitutional.

We take a look at the Constitution Bench comprising of judges from five faiths and what they judges said in their verdict:

Chief Justice JS Khehar (Sikh): The first Chief Justice of India from the Sikh Community. He had been involved in major judgments in the past few years, including the 2G spectrum scam and the case against Sahara chief Subrata Roy. Khehar has been the CJI since January 2017. He was elevated to the Supreme Court on 13 September 2011, prior to which he served as the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court.

Justice Kurian Joseph (Christian): He began his legal career in 1979 in the Kerala High Court. He became a government pleader in 1987 before becoming the Additional Advocate-General in 1994. In 2000, Joseph was elevated as a judge of the Kerala High Court. Joseph became the Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court in 2010 and continued to remain in the position till 2013. He was elevated to the Supreme Court on 8 March 2013.

RF Nariman (Parsi): He is the son of distinguished jurist Fali S Nariman. He was a senior counsel at the Supreme Court of India before being elevated as a judge in the apex court on 7 July 2014. Notably, Nariman also served as India’s solicitor-general between 27 July 2011 and 4 February 2013. Beginning his legal career in 1979, the 60-year-old jurist became a senior counsel in the Supreme Court in 1993. He is also known as a scholar on the Zoroastrian faith.

UU Lalit (Hindu): Justice Lalit, who hails from Maharashtra, was appointed as a judge in the apex court in July 2014. He had famously represented Amit Shah in the Tulsi Prajapati encounter case in the Supreme Court. He was also a special prosecutor in the 2G spectrum allocation case. He also represented the government for opposing Dr Binayak Sen’s bail plea when he was held on sedition charges. He has represented Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh in a corruption case as well as his cabinet colleague Navjot Singh Sidhu in a culpable homicide case.

Abdul Nazeer (Muslim): He was born in 1958 in Karnataka’s Moodbidri. According to Udayavani, a Kannada newspaper, Nazeer completed his B.Com degree at Mahaveera College in Moodbidri before obtaining a law degree from SDM Law College. He enrolled as an advocate in 1983 before being elevated as an additional judge of the Karnataka High Court in 2003. He became a permanent judge of the Karnataka High Court on 24 September 2004. Nazeer was elevated to the Supreme Court in February 2017.