Case against Saudi-based husband for triple talaq over phone, his father held

A Saudi-based worker from Bihar has been accused of abandoning his wife after pronouncing “Talaq” three times over the phone. Noorul Hoda, father of Hafiz Ikramul Haq, is working in the west Asian country, has been arrested as he along with other members of the family has been named as co-accused in the FIR lodged by Farzana Khatoon, Premlata Bhupashree, in-charge of Mahila Thana, Supaul said.

In her compliant, Farzana said she had been married to Haq since 2013 and had always been at the receiving end of her in-laws as her parents were unable to fulfil a demand for Rs 1 lakh as dowry to enable her husband's migration to the Gulf country.

"Farzana has further alleged that her plight intensified after the birth of a girl child in 2017. On July 20 last, she gave birth to twin girls which made her in-laws fly into a rage," Bhupashree said.

"According to Farzana, her in-laws started pressuring her that she demand Rs 2 lakh from her parents for the upkeep of the two newly born girls and one day her mother-in-law called up her husband and asked him to divorce his wife so that they could get him married to some other woman," Bhupashree added.

Haq asked his mother to put the phone on loudspeaker mode and uttered the word talaq thrice. Farzana was thereafter driven out of the house late in the night. Subsequently she approached the police seeking legal remedy. Haq's father has been arrested and sent to jail and other members of the family will face action in accordance with the law," Bhupashree said. She added that efforts will be made in due course to secure the arrest of Haq.

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage), which was passed by Rajya Sabha in July, makes instant triple talaq in any form—spoken, in writing or by electronic means such as email, SMS and WhatsApp—illegal and void, with up to three years in jail for the husband. 

President Ram Nath Kovind gave assent to the triple talaq bill on Thursday.

Petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the law which criminalises triple talaq and awards jail term for the husband for pronouncing the word.

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