Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Aizawl: The Supreme Court rejected a direct plea on Monday, August 24, ordering a Mizo woman to take her legal challenge against state inheritance laws to the Gauhati High Court. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana heard the case brought by petitioner Meriam L Hrangchal. Judges directed the counsel to seek relief locally.
"Why don't you approach the High Court? That is exactly why the high courts were established," the bench stated. Hrangchal argues that the Mizo Marriage and Inheritance of Property (Amendment) Act, 2026, is unconstitutional. The law strengthens the 2014 original act while codifying various customary practices.
Key changes in the legislation include a ban on polygamy and a grant of 50 per cent ownership of matrimonial property to women. However, the petition highlights discriminatory clauses regarding Mizo women who marry non-Mizo men. Hrangchal claims these rules negatively impact the rights of their children and threaten the mother's community identity and Scheduled Tribe status. The petitioner must now file her case in the Gauhati High Court, which maintains jurisdiction over Mizoram.
Updated at 24th August 2026 at 10:00pm
Hrangchal filed her plea under Article 32 of the Constitution, seeking to bypass local judicial channels. The challenge specifically targets the Mizo Marriage, Divorce and Inheritance of Property Act, 2014, which was updated by the 2026 amendment.
Comments