A man in Hyderabad has been arrested after he sent a postcard with “triple talaq” to divorce his new wife. In a rare arrest linked to the practice that has been challenged in the Supreme Court by Muslim women, the police have charged the 38-year-old man with “harassing” and cheating his wife, 26.
Mohammad Haneef (38), a supervisor at a textile showroom, was arrested in Kukatpally.
He got married to a 26-year-old woman from Talabkatta on March 9.
A day after the marriage, Haneef left the house and later told her that he is undergoing treatment in a private hospital and will not be able to come home for a few days.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (south) V Satyanarayana said that the accused married the victim on March 16 at a function hall in Moghalpura in the Old City of Hyderabad.
“I am personally monitoring the case. We are investigating as to what exactly happened later in the day when the marriage was solemnised. We have called for records from the qazi so that they can be examined. Depending on the outcome we will take a call. It is also possible that a rape case will be booked against the accused,” Satyanarayana said.
On March 19, the wife received a postcard from Haneef in which he had written talaq three times and said that the decision was taken in presence of two people.
He later gave her a call regarding the same.
The woman then went back to her parental house in Talabkatta and apprised her parents of the incident.
The police registered a case of cheating and arrested Haneef from his house.
Last week, the Supreme Court had said that Islamic practices of triple talaq, nikah halala and polygamy are issues that are “very important” and involve “sentiments”, and had decided a Constitution Bench would hear petitions challenging these from May 11.
Influential Muslim organisations like the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) have opposed court’s adjudication of these matters, maintaining these practices stemmed from the Holy Quran and were not justifiable.
