Triple talaq ban: The five-faith bench behind the decision
What's the story
The SC today effectively banned triple talaq, saying it is against the basic tenets of the Quran.
Interestingly, the five judges behind the decision come from five faiths. While three spoke against the practice (Justices Joseph, Nariman and Lalit), two said it should be suspended till laws are made (CJI Khehar and Justice Nazeer).
Nonetheless, all five have made stellar contributions to Indian judiciary.
JS Khehar
JS Khehar: the first Sikh Chief Justice of India
44th Chief Justice of India JS Khehar, the first Sikh CJI, supported triple talaq as a "fundamental right".
He led the bench that rejected the NJAC, terming it a threat to the judiciary's independence.
He was part of the bench that restored the Congress government in Arunachal, and another that sent Sahara chief Subrata Roy to jail.
He will retire on August 28.
Kurian Joseph
Justice Kurian Joseph: Not just thought, but action too
Justice Kurian Joseph (Christian) believes in citizens' participation in governance through discharge of duty.
He also believes there's no danger from fundamentalists while the judiciary is independent.
Recently, he led a bench that ruled minority institutions can select a qualified person from the community as principal, ignoring seniority. He's also hearing the coal allocation scam case.
Justice Joseph will retire next November.
Personal
Justice Abdul Nazeer: The latest elevation to the SC
Among the five, Justice Abdul Nazeer (Muslim) is the latest to be elevated as an SC judge (February). He is also hearing the case on the Ayodhya dispute. In the matter of privacy as a fundamental right, a nine-judge bench including him has reserved judgement.
Rohinton Fali Nariman
Justice Rohinton Nariman: Expert in comparative constitutional and civil law
Justice Rohinton Nariman (Parsi), the fifth judge to be directly elevated from the bar, is an ordained priest and an expert in comparative constitutional law and civil law.
He is in the nine-judge bench hearing on privacy. Earlier, he was in a bench that scrapped a cyber law that allowed police to arrest anyone for "annoying/offensive" comments online.
He will retire in August 2021.
UU Lalit
Justice Uday Umesh Lalit: From CBI SPP to SC judge
Justice UU Lalit (Hindu) has displayed inclination to consider audio/video recordings of proceedings in all courts.
Earlier, he was the CBI's special public prosecutor in the 2G spectrum allocation scam.
A bench consisting Lalit barred the police from making unverified arrests in dowry cases. He also directed the CBI to probe extra-judicial killings by armed forces in Manipur.
He will retire in November 2022.