Shia board proposes new nikahnama

The nikahnama will have provisions to settle marital disputes by means of 8216;8216;arbitration8217;8217; by Shia community members, All India Shia Personal Law Board chairman Mirza Mohammad Athar said at a press conference in Lucknow today. 8216;8216;A nikah is a contract and both the parties husband and wife have the right to incorporate their conditions in it so that disputes arising from it can be resolved,8217;8217; he said.

Athar said couples would not have to go to courts to resolve matrimonial disputes and even if the matter did go to the courts, 8216;8216;the nikahnama would also be helpful to the courts in reaching a decision fast.8217;8217;

Issues like maintenance of the wife after divorce had also been addressed in the nikahnama, he said, adding that the board was also planning a census of Shias in the country. He expressed hope that the code would be tabled at the board8217;s annual general meeting in Mumbai on November 26.