Bombay high court on Wednesday asked trustees of Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) to work out by Thursday an alternative solution after a Parsi woman’s nomination for its forthcoming election was rejected on ground that her proposer, Rustom Jeejeebhoy, allegedly no longer professed Zoarastrian faith.
Article by Swati Deshpande | Times of India
The woman, Zuleika Homavazir, a department head at Wilson College, appealed against denial of interim relief by one-judge bench of Justice A K Menon on March 8, citing “reluctance” to get an affidavit from Jeejeebhoy of his continuing to be a Parsi.
A bench of Justices S J Kathawalla and Vinay Joshi, hearing her appeal, orally observed that unless her proposer’s name is struck off the general register as a member of the electorate, by following rules, he could be entitled to vote and propose names.
The BPP said it had sent him two emails, but the HC asked if it had sent an explicit notice under rules. The appeal bench posted the matter to Thursday for hearing.
Homavazir, in her appeal, said the single judge failed to consider that for polls—for two posts of trustees—till voter list was not altered and Jeejeebhoy’s name not deleted, the question of him purportedly having ceased to profess Zoroastrian faith is irrelevant.
