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 on Marriage) Act, 2019.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar issued the directive while hearing 12 petitions challenging the constitutionality of the 2019 law. The court also asked the Centre and other parties involved to submit their written arguments.
“The respondent (Centre) shall provide the total number of FIRs and chargesheets pending under Sections 3 and 4 of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019. All parties must also file written submissions, limited to three pages, supporting their contentions,” the bench stated.
The matter has been scheduled for a final hearing on March 17.
The lead petitioner in the case is Samastha Kerala Jamiathul Ulema, a prominent Muslim organization based in Kozhikode, Kerala.
Triple talaq, also known as ‘talaq-e-biddat’, is a practice where a Muslim man instantly divorces his wife by pronouncing ‘talaq’ three times in one go. The 2019 law criminalized the practice, making it illegal and void, with offenders facing up to three years in jail.
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 the Quran and violated the Islamic law Shariat.
With IANS inputs