Project Mishkat seeks to critically examine the intersection of law, religion, and identity within the Indian context, with a particular focus on the Muslim community. India’s diverse social fabric, enshrined in the Constitution, allows for the coexistence of various religious, linguistic, and cultural identities.

Part III of the Constitution guarantees fundamental rights, while also recognizing the need to navigate the complexities of multiple personal laws and customs. However, the evolving landscape of legislative reforms, executive policies, and judicial precedents often poses challenges to the integrity of these personal laws, especially in the case of Muslim identity and legal practices.

The project aims to explore the ways in which State institutions, while purporting to safeguard minority rights, may inadvertently dilute or misinterpret the core values embedded in these communities’ laws and customs. By adopting an inter-disciplinarian and jurisprudential approach, Project Mishkat will analyse the implications of these institutional interventions on Muslim rights, highlighting the tension between secular legal frameworks and religious freedoms.

The project’s goal is to foster a nuanced understanding of these dynamics and contribute to the broader discourse on minority rights in India in order to uphold the spirit of diversity that pervades through the social fabric of the country.