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Outright Discrimination against women in J&K

Jammu and Kashmir today passed a bill that confirms the long-standing precedent of annulling the permanent resident status of a local woman once she marries outside the state.

The Permanent Resident (Disqualification) Bill, 2004, was passed unanimously by the Assembly in the wake of a high court judgment on the status of local women marrying outside the state, law minister M.H. Baig said.

The high court, in the State of Jammu and Kashmir versus Dr Susheela Sawhney case, had held that the existing law had no provision that dealt with the status of a woman permanent resident who marries a non-permanent resident.

As a result, all parties in the state came together and drafted the bill that bars local women marrying outside the state from retaining their permanent resident status.

In real terms, this means the women will no longer be able to buy property in the state or seek government service. They will, however, inherit ancestral property. These women also cannot vote in the state in any election except parliamentary polls. Their children cannot inherit their property in the state either.

Baig said the legal position of woman descendants of permanent residents on inheritance would remain unaltered.

Source: The Telegraph - Marry out, lose status in J&K
Hindu Article

This is an outright discrimination against women, violation of fundamental rights by discriminating based on sex, if guys marry outside he still has complete rights, if a girl married outside she looses rights. Are we taking the country towards back?