Faced with mounting criticism, the Jammu and Kashmir government on Monday decided to defer a bill which sought to disqualify women from their right to inherit immovable property if they married a man from outside the state.

The bill has now been referred to a select committee of the legislature.

Earlier in the day, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had asked Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed to send the bill to a review committee.

Congress is a constituent of the Peoples Democratic Party-led coalition government in the state.

The Panthers' Party, another ally of the PDP, too has opposed the bill.