NEW DELHI, Jan 29: The Supreme Court has requested the Centre to provide information regarding the number of FIRs and chargesheets filed against men for using instant triple talaq to divorce their spouses, which violates the 1991 Muslim Women (Protection of Rights in Marriage) Act.
A bench led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar, which is reviewing 12 petitions challenging the constitutionality of the 1991 law, has also directed the Centre and other involved parties to submit their written responses to the petitions.
The bench has scheduled the final hearing of the petitions for the week starting March 17.
Samastha Kerala Jamiathul Ulema, a Muslim organization based in Kozhikode, is the primary petitioner in this matter.
The bench instructed, “The respondent (Centre) must disclose the total number of FIRs and chargesheets pending under sections 3 and 4 of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights in Marriage) Act 2019. Additionally, the parties should submit written arguments not exceeding three pages in support of their claims.”
Instant ‘triple talaq’, also referred to as ‘talaq-e-biddat’, allows a Muslim man to legally divorce his wife by uttering ‘talaq’ three times in succession.
This practice has been deemed illegal and void under the law, attracting a potential three-year prison sentence for the husband.
In a landmark ruling on August 22, 2017, the Supreme Court abolished the 1,400-year-old practice of ‘triple talaq’ among Muslims, citing that it contradicted fundamental principles of the Quran and violated Islamic law, or Shariat. (Agencies)
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