Activists see ray of hope as supreme court considers health hazards of female genital mutilation

After years of activism, the demand to ban the controversial practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) among a section of the Muslim community in India has reached a crucial and decisive stage.

A public interest litigation (PIL) to completely ban the practice - also called female khatna or khafd - was filed in the Supreme Court (SC) by a Delhi-based advocate Sunita Tiwari in May. The apex court then issued notice to the Centre and sought a “detailed reply” from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Delhi where the Bohra community resides. Later, the court also ordered Kerala and Telangana to be made party to the PIL as it's home to community members. The petition by Tiwari, who is incidentally not from the Bohra community, said that the practice is not mentioned in the Quran and is done for no medical reason.

Read full article here.