New Delhi, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday hailed the Supreme Court's landmark judgment on maintenance of Muslim women, calling it a "big step" and said the assistance should be equitable regardless of religion.

The apex court had on Wednesday ruled that a Muslim woman can seek maintenance from her husband under Section 125 of the CrPC and said the "religion neutral" provision applies to all married women, irrespective of their religion.

In an apparent reference to the judgment, Dhankhar said, "Just yesterday you must have seen a great judgment of the Supreme Court. It is being debated on a public platform."

Addressing representatives of an industry body, he said, "The assistance should be uniform, uniform for all, irrespective of their religion. This is a big step."

The bench said that if Muslim women are married and divorced under Muslim law, the provisions of Section 125 of the CrPC as well as the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986 also apply.

Muslim divorced women have the option to seek remedies under either or both of the two laws.

The bench said, "This is because the 1986 Act is not an affront to Section 125 of the CrPC, but is in addition to the said provision."