There is plenty of debate on the Supreme Court's decision to allow Goolrokh Gupta - a Parsi woman who married a Hindu man - to attend the last rites for her parents in a section of the Tower of Silence, if the need arises. Goolrokh had earlier been barred from entering Zoroastrian places of worship after she married outside the faith.

Yesterday, this paper published an interview with Goolrokh, in which she hailed the apex court's decision as a victory of sorts, while the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) insisted that it was by no means a landmark ruling. The BPP said it is important to look to January 17, when the case will come up again in court. Purists may like to play down its value, but it is evident though that the first significant challenge has arrived. It has, in a way, started the ball rolling for reformists who want to see the community laws change with the times.