Kendrapara: The first case of Odisha under Triple Talaq Ordinance passed by the Narendra Modi Government in September this year has been reported from Kendrapara district after a woman lodged a complaint with Pattamundai police accusing her husband of giving her triple talaq over phone.
The victim identified as Taksima Khatun said her husband Sk Rija Ahmad called her over the phone October 23 and uttered triple talaq thrice.
“He called me over the phone and just said triple talaq thrice,” the woman said in her complaint. Acting on the complaint by the 24-year-old woman who was married to Sk Rija of Kalapahada village under Aul police limits November 28, 2017, police registered a case and launched a probe.
Preliminary probe revealed Rija works as a carpenter in Chandigarh of Punjab.
According to the victim, dowry demands of Rs 1 lakh cash, 80 gram of gold ornaments and household furniture was provided to Rija during marriage. However, he demanded ` one lakh more after six months of marriage.
He began to assault the victim and threatened her to leave his house when her parents expressed their inability to pay the money. Unfortunately, the marriage did not last even a year as Rija divorced her October 23 over phone from Punjab, the victim said.
We have registered a case acting on the FIR and police are investigating the case, said IIC of Pattamundai police station, Pramod Mallick.
“I tried to contact him several times after he uttered the three words but he did not respond. As there was no response from him even after repeated calls, I was compelled to file an FIR against him. My husband is well aware about the judgment of Supreme Court which banned triple talaq. He should be punished as per law,” said Taksima expressing shock over the triple talaq.
Meanwhile, a lawyer Bijay Das said, “In August 2017, the Supreme Court has banned triple talaq and December 28 Lok Sabha has passed a landmark Bill that made instant ‘triple talaq’ a criminal offence and proposed a three-year jail term for a Muslim man who would divorce his wife by uttering the word ‘talaq’ thrice.
However, as the Bill failed to be passed in the Rajya Sabha, the Centre passed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Ordinance 2018 to make the practice of instant triple talaq a punishable offence. Under the Ordinance, Muslim men who end their marriage by uttering triple talaq will now face a jail term upto three years and a fine.
PNN