SC demands details of FIRs, charge sheets against men for divorcing wives through triple talaq

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Centre to provide details on the number of FIRs and chargesheets filed against men for pronouncing instant triple talaq in violation of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights in Marriage) Act, 2019.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar, hearing 12 petitions challenging the constitutionality of the law, also asked the Centre and other parties to submit their written arguments.

The court scheduled the final hearing on the petitions for the week starting March 17.

Samastha Kerala Jamiathul Ulema, a Kozhikode-based Muslim organisation, is the lead petitioner in the case.

“The respondent (Centre) shall file the total number of FIRs and charge sheets pending under section 3 and 4 of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights of Marriage) Act 2019. The parties also file written submissions not exceeding three pages in support of their contention,” the bench said.

Instant 'triple talaq', also known as 'talaq-e-biddat', is an instant divorce whereby a Muslim man can legally divorce his wife by pronouncing 'talaq' three times in one go.

Under the law, instant 'triple talaq' has been declared as illegal and void and will attract a jail term of three years for the husband.

In a landmark verdict, the apex court on August 22, 2017 had put the curtains down on a 1,400 year old practice of 'triple talaq' among Muslims and set it aside on several grounds, including that it was against the basic tenets of Quran and violated the Islamic law Shariat. PTI