Can Parsi women who marry non-Parsis retain their identity?
The Supreme Court is set to examine whether Parsi women who marry outside their faith can keep their religious identity.
This comes after Dina Budhraja was stopped from entering a fire temple at her grandmother's funeral in 2024 because she married a Hindu under the Special Marriage Act back in 2009.
The court has now asked both the Nagpur Parsi Panchayat and the government for their views.
Budhraja's challenge could set important precedent
Budhraja is challenging rules that say Parsi women who marry non-Parsis be treated as having ceased to be Parsi and be denied recognition or access to certain community institutions (for example, being denied entry to an agiary or being told not to represent herself as Parsi).
She argues this goes against basic equality and freedom promised by the Constitution.
Different regions handle this issue differently, so the court's decision could set an important example for gender equality and religious freedom within the Parsi community.