Fierce opposition in Muslim marriages case
The Women’s Legal Centre Trust is adamant it wants the Muslim Marriages Bill made into law, despite counter-arguments by respondents – President Jacob Zuma, Parliament, the Departments of Home Affairs, Justice and Correctional Services – to have the case in the Western Cape High Court dismissed, says a Cape Times report.
The United Ulama Council of SA and the Muslim Women’s Association were successful in the application to be respondents as well. Advocate Zehir Omar brought seven preliminary points forward interrogating the validity of the trust’s case.
These include the fact that Chapter Nine institutions were not joined as parties, and it was undesirable for the court to interfere in matters that should be left to the legislature. All respondents argued yesterday on the points raised by Omar, and there was general agreement with his points. Judge Siraj Desai said the matter had far-reaching effects and was inherently urgent. He is expected to hand down judgment on the preliminary points next week.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
