New Delhi, Aug 28 (TIWN) The Supreme Court has issued notice to Centre on plea by a Mumbai-based seven-year-old boy and his Parsi mother challenging the social and religious ostracization owing solely to factors of lineage, ethnicity and race consequential to the fact that woman married a non-Parsi.

A bench comprising justices S. Abdul Nazeer and Krishna Murari sought a response from the Centre on a joint petition by the mother and son.  The plea argued that Parsis are a race and ethnic group and ostracization of a Parsi Zoroastrian and her offspring on the grounds of her marriage to an individual of a different lineage, race or religion is contrary to basic human rights and the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.  During the arguments on the matter, the bench observed that contentions raised in the plea were already covered in a reference made to a larger bench following the Sabarimala judgement.  The plea said women should be free to exercise the personal choice without having to face the consequence of being ostracized from the society, community and religion she was born into. “This Petition pertains to the latter issue and asserts the right of a woman to belong to the community and religion into which she was born irrespective of who she marries”, added the plea.