Court on maintenance
The Supreme Court of India’s verdict (Page 1, “Divorced Muslim women entitled to secular remedy: SC”, July 11) will truly empower them financially and socially. This is yet another landmark judgment by the apex Court after Mary Roy vs The State Of Kerala (1986) that gave equal rights to Syrian Christian women as their male siblings in matters of inheritance.
N.A. Joseph,
Ettumanoor, Kottayam, Kerala
The Court ruling is not only the need of the times but would also go a long way in empowering divorced Muslim women. It will protect their individuality and enhance their self-respect.
C.G. Kuriakose,
Kothamangalam, Kerala
Judge on the homemaker
Justice B.V. Nagarathna of the Supreme Court of India has hit the mark in her comments on a lack of emotional and financial security that many Indian women homemakers face (Inside pages, July 11). Financial empowerment is only the second stage in the journey towards financial independence. The first step is financial awareness. In most Indian homes, all financial decisions are taken by the man without even consulting his wife, even in those cases where the wife contributes to the household income. Every Indian woman should be aware of the state of the household balance sheet. This alone will enable her to help make the right monetary decisions. It will also relieve some of the burden on the husband who is expected to know everything about finance.
Sharada Sivaram,
Ernakulam, Kerala
As patriarchy is deeply entrenched in our society, men cannot be expected to heed the advice of Justice Nagarathna and do “justice” by sharing their income with their wives.
The passing of a law that makes working men to share a percentage of their income, say 10%, with their wives to meet their personal needs, over and above the amount being given towards household expenses, may be the solution. Such a law would definitely help in increasing awareness about the necessity for the financial independence of homemaker housewives and, eventually, a change in the mindset of men.
Kosaraju Chandramouli,
Hyderabad
U.S. presidential race
U.S. President Joe Biden should end his reelection bid. This would not only be in the interests of the United States and the Democrats but also in his own best interest (‘World’ page, July 11). By doing so, he would escape defeat at the hands of Donald Trump and also preserve the legacy of his long and illustrious career. Such a step would also provide the Democrats with an option to field an energetic and fresh face who can take on Mr. Trump.
Rajdeep Mahanta,
Guwahati, Assam
