On January 1, 2001, in a landmark judgment, the Bangladesh...

On January 1, 2001, in a landmark judgment, the Bangladesh High Court, comprising Justice Najmun Ara Sultana, the first woman judge in the country's history, declared fatwa as illegal and also ruled that a fatwa given by any unauthorised person must be made a punishable offence by Parliament immediately. It was delivered against the backdrop of an increasing number of fatwas which are mostly given by semi-literate mullahs against women.

(Sources: The Hindu 03/01/2001)