SC seeks details of FIRs, charge sheets against men for divorcing wives through triple talaq
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Centre to provide the details of the number of FIRs and chargesheets filed against men for pronouncing instant triple talaq to divorce spouses 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 as many as 12 petitions challenging the constitutionality of the law, also asked the Centre and other parties to file their written submissions to the pleas.
The bench fixed the petitions for final hearing in the week commencing 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.
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Family of injured driver in murder of Suvendu's aide seeks exemplary punishment
Kolkata (PTI): The family of Buddhabeb Bera, the driver injured in the shooting that killed BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari's close aide Chandranath Rath, demanded exemplary punishment for those responsible and urged the new government to ensure such incidents do not happen in West Bengal.
Rath was shot dead in Madhyamgram near Kolkata on Wednesday night, triggering a political storm in the state. Bera, who was driving the vehicle at the time of the attack, sustained gunshot wounds and is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital.
Family members said they learned about the incident through television and immediately left for Kolkata.
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"We came to know from TV reports that my nephew had been shot. We still do not know who carried out the attack or why it happened," Buddhabeb's uncle Biswajit Bera said.
"Our only wish now is that he recovers and returns home safely," he added.
Buddhabeb, 25, hails from Majnaberia village in the Chandipur police station area in Purba Medinipur district.
According to family members, he mostly stays in Kolkata for work and visits home occasionally during weekends.
Besides his parents, his younger brother, sister-in-law and several relatives have also travelled to Kolkata following the incident.
Demanding strict action against the perpetrators, the uncle said, "We want the government to conduct a proper investigation and identify those directly involved in the crime. They should be given exemplary punishment so that such incidents do not happen again in West Bengal and no other family has to go through this grief."
A neighbour, Ranjana Ghorai, also sought stringent punishment for those behind the attack.
"In our neighbourhood, we call him Sona. We want exemplary punishment for the people responsible for this incident," she said.
Rath's family members have demanded life imprisonment for the accused, while Adhikari has called for capital punishment for those involved in the killing.
