Bangladesh's top court has ruled that the word 'virgin' must be removed from marriage certificates following pressure from human rights groups and campaigners.
In a landmark verdict, the government was ordered to replace the term with "unmarried", deputy attorney general Amit Talukder said.
The full verdict is widely expected to be published in October, when the changes will likely come into effect.
Bangladeshi law requires brides to identify as one of three options on the marriage certificate: Kumari (virgin), widow or divorced.
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The court also ruled that grooms must also confirm their status by choosing from the three options of "unmarried, widower or divorced".
"It is a landmark verdict," Aynun Nahar Siddiqua, a lawyer for the groups which filed the case challenging the term, told AFP.
The 'virgin' categorisation was introduced in 1961, sparking backlash from rights groups who described it as "humiliating and discriminatory" against women.
Bangladesh is the world's third-largest Muslim majority country and nearly 90 percent of its 168 million population are Muslims.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
