The funeral of a man has been held up for over a decade now as his two wives continue to argue in court over his religious identity.
Mira Nondi, the first wife, claims her husband, Ronsit Nondi, also known as Khokon Nondi, was a Hindu until his death at BIRDEM General Hospital on June 26, 2014.
She bases her claim on official documents,聽 including his national identity card, income tax returns, utility bills and his business dealings under his Hindu name.
Conversely, Habiba Akhter Khanom, the second wife and a former teacher at Willes Little Flower School and College, asserts that Khokon converted to Islam on April 2, 1980, and they were married on July 15, 1984.
Mira has two children, a daughter and a son, while Habiba does not have any children.聽
She contends that he should be buried following Islamic rituals under the name Rajiv Chowdhury or Khokon Chowdhury.
The legal battle intensified when a lower court, on January 12, 2023, ruled in favour of Mira, declaring the deceased as Hindu at the time of his death.
The court also found that he conducted his business, including establishing a market with 50 shops on Green Road in Dhaka, under his Hindu identity.
The case reached the High Court after Habiba filed a civil petition challenging the lower court鈥檚 verdict.
On Tuesday, a High Court bench led by Justice Md Zakir Hossain issued a ruling asking Mira to explain within three weeks why the lower court鈥檚 judgment should not be declared illegal and why the body should not be handed over to Habiba.
The High Court also directed BIRDEM General Hospital to maintain the status quo for three months regarding the body, which is kept preserved in the hospital鈥檚 mortuary since 2014.
Habiba鈥檚 lawyer, Mohammad Shishir Manir, argued that the body should not be handed over to either party until the dispute over the deceased鈥檚 religious identity is resolved.
He was assisted by junior counsel Md Mizanul Hoque.