Woman rejects triple talaq, lodges dowry plaint with police

A man said talaq three times in a market to divorce his wife in Rajasthan’s Barmer district, but the woman, refusing to accept it, lodged a complaint with the superintendent of police.

The incident happened at a time a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court is examining triple talaq, a Shariat (Islamic) law practice that allows men to end a marriage by uttering the word talaq to their wives three times in succession.

The multi-faith bench, led by chief justice JS Khehar, last week reserved its verdict on a clutch of petitions by Muslim women seeking scrapping of the provision, which they say is against gender justice. The central government has backed the petitioners. On the basis of the woman’s complaint, Barmer SP Gagandeep Singla directed the mahila thana (women police station) to register a case under section 498(A) (husband or relative of a husband subjecting a woman to cruelty) of the IPC (Indian Penal Code).

“The victim met me on Thursday and lodged a complaint. I have directed the mahila thana to register the case under section 498 (A) of IPC,” said Singla.

In her complaint, the woman of Hamirpura in Barmer city said she married Firoj Khan of Ren Basera area 16 years ago, and they have a 14-year-old son.

She alleged that Khan started harassing her for dowry five years ago and later threw her out of the house. She then returned to her parent’s house. About 10 days ago, her husband met her in a market and uttered talaq three times to divorce her, the woman said, adding Khan told her that he had married another woman.

The victim alleged that neither did her husband give her ‘meher’ (the obligatory gift given by a man to his bride during marriage) nor any maintenance money. Refusing to accept divorce, the woman demanded justice.

In an affidavit to the SC bench, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board has said instant divorce through triple talaq is undesirable and anyone practising it will face social boycott.