{"id":3839,"date":"2025-01-16T13:42:04","date_gmt":"2025-01-16T13:42:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fawyerz.in\/judgments\/?p=3839"},"modified":"2025-03-12T15:59:33","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T10:29:33","slug":"state-of-bombay-v-narasu-appa-mali-1952-case-summary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fawyerz.in\/judgments\/family-law\/state-of-bombay-v-narasu-appa-mali-1952-case-summary\/","title":{"rendered":"State of Bombay v. Narasu Appa Mali AIR 1952 Bom 84 (Case Summary)\u200b"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"3839\" class=\"elementor elementor-3839\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-917020f elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default wpr-particle-no wpr-jarallax-no wpr-parallax-no wpr-sticky-section-no wpr-equal-height-no\" data-id=\"917020f\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-5aa9190\" data-id=\"5aa9190\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-0360c7f elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default wpr-particle-no wpr-jarallax-no wpr-parallax-no wpr-sticky-section-no wpr-equal-height-no\" data-id=\"0360c7f\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-f71d46a\" data-id=\"f71d46a\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d818b36 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"d818b36\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">State of Bombay v. Narasu Appa Mali AIR 1952 Bom 84 (Case Summary)<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e246dd3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"e246dd3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1305\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/fawyerz.in\/judgments\/wp-content\/uploads\/State-of-Bombay-v.-Narasu-Appa-Mali-AIR-1952-Bom-84.png\" class=\"attachment-1536x1536 size-1536x1536 wp-image-3841\" alt=\"State of Bombay v. Narasu Appa Mali AIR 1952 Bom 84\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fawyerz.in\/judgments\/wp-content\/uploads\/State-of-Bombay-v.-Narasu-Appa-Mali-AIR-1952-Bom-84.png 1305w, https:\/\/fawyerz.in\/judgments\/wp-content\/uploads\/State-of-Bombay-v.-Narasu-Appa-Mali-AIR-1952-Bom-84-300x138.png 300w, https:\/\/fawyerz.in\/judgments\/wp-content\/uploads\/State-of-Bombay-v.-Narasu-Appa-Mali-AIR-1952-Bom-84-1024x471.png 1024w, https:\/\/fawyerz.in\/judgments\/wp-content\/uploads\/State-of-Bombay-v.-Narasu-Appa-Mali-AIR-1952-Bom-84-150x69.png 150w, https:\/\/fawyerz.in\/judgments\/wp-content\/uploads\/State-of-Bombay-v.-Narasu-Appa-Mali-AIR-1952-Bom-84-768x353.png 768w, https:\/\/fawyerz.in\/judgments\/wp-content\/uploads\/State-of-Bombay-v.-Narasu-Appa-Mali-AIR-1952-Bom-84-600x276.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1305px) 100vw, 1305px\" title=\"\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0d9ee86 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0d9ee86\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This landmark case addressed the conflict between personal laws and constitutional mandates in India. The Bombay High Court addressed on whether personal laws could be challenged under the Indian Constitution, particularly with regard to Articles 13, 14, and 15, which deal with the right to equality and non-discrimination.<\/span><\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #000000;color:#000000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #000000;color:#000000\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/fawyerz.in\/judgments\/family-law\/state-of-bombay-v-narasu-appa-mali-1952-case-summary\/#Facts_of_State_of_Bombay_v_Narasu_Appa_Mali\" >Facts of State of Bombay v Narasu Appa Mali\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/fawyerz.in\/judgments\/family-law\/state-of-bombay-v-narasu-appa-mali-1952-case-summary\/#Issues_framed\" >Issues framed<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/fawyerz.in\/judgments\/family-law\/state-of-bombay-v-narasu-appa-mali-1952-case-summary\/#Subordinate_Court_Judgment\" >Subordinate Court Judgment\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/fawyerz.in\/judgments\/family-law\/state-of-bombay-v-narasu-appa-mali-1952-case-summary\/#Judgment_of_State_of_Bombay_v_Narasu_Appa_Mali\" >Judgment of State of Bombay v Narasu Appa Mali<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Facts_of_State_of_Bombay_v_Narasu_Appa_Mali\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #993300;\"><b>Facts of State of Bombay v Narasu Appa Mali\u00a0<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><ol><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The State of Bombay passed the Bombay Prevention of Hindu Bigamous Marriages Act, 1946, criminalizing bigamy among Hindus.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Narasu Appa Mali, a Hindu man, was prosecuted under this Act for contracting a second marriage while his first wife was still alive.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Narasu challenged the Act, arguing that it violated his fundamental rights under the Constitution, particularly the right to equality and non-discrimination.<\/span><\/li><\/ol><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Issues_framed\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #993300;\"><b>Issues framed<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><ol><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether personal laws are subject to the provisions of Part III of the Indian Constitution, particularly Articles 13, 14, and 15?<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether the Bombay Prevention of Hindu Bigamous Marriages Act, 1946, is unconstitutional for being discriminatory?<\/span><\/li><\/ol><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Subordinate_Court_Judgment\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #993300;\"><b>Subordinate Court Judgment\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The case was initially heard by a subordinate court. The Sessions Judge of South Satara held that the Act was invalid and acquitted the accused. Similarly, in another case, a Magistrate in Kaira also acquitted the accused under the same reasoning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, in a case before the Resident Magistrate of Mehsana, the accused was convicted under Section 5 of the Act and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment and a fine. This conviction was upheld by the Sessions Judge, Mehsana. The matter was then appealed to the Bombay High Court. The case has been foundational in subsequent debates on the application of constitutional principles to personal laws.<\/span><\/p><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Judgment_of_State_of_Bombay_v_Narasu_Appa_Mali\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #993300;\"><b>Judgment of State of Bombay v Narasu Appa Mali<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Bombay High Court analysed whether personal laws could be treated as law under Articles 13, 14, 15\u00a0 and 25 of the Indian Constitution. The judgment distinguished between statutory laws, which are subject to judicial review, and personal laws derived from religious scriptures or customs, which are outside the purview of Article 13<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Bombay High Court ruled that personal laws are not &#8220;laws&#8221; under Article 13 of the Constitution and, therefore, are not subject to the scrutiny of fundamental rights. The court held that the Act in question was a social reform measure and did not violate the equality provisions of the Constitution. The judgement emphasised that personal laws cannot be challenged under Part III of the Constitution unless they have been codified by the legislature.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Bombay High Court upheld the constitutionality of the Bombay Prevention of Hindu Bigamous Marriages Act, 1946, and dismissed the appeal. In its ruling, the court remarked, &#8220;Personal laws are not laws under Article 13 and hence cannot be challenged as being in violation of the fundamental rights.&#8221; This judgement has significant implications, as it established that uncodified personal laws remain outside the purview of judicial review concerning fundamental rights. The court upheld the validity of the Bombay Prevention of Hindu Bigamous Marriages Act, stating that it did not violate the fundamental rights of the petitioner. The court concluded that personal laws are not subject to the equality provisions of the Constitution and are thus immune from challenges based on Part III of the Constitution\u200b.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This landmark case addressed the conflict between personal laws and constitutional mandates in India. The Bombay High Court addressed on whether personal laws could be challenged under the Indian <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3841,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[87,16,66,67],"class_list":["post-3839","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family-law","tag-article-13","tag-article-14","tag-article-15","tag-hindu-marriage-act-1955"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fawyerz.in\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3839","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fawyerz.in\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fawyerz.in\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fawyerz.in\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fawyerz.in\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3839"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/fawyerz.in\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3839\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4226,"href":"https:\/\/fawyerz.in\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3839\/revisions\/4226"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fawyerz.in\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3841"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fawyerz.in\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fawyerz.in\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3839"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fawyerz.in\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}