Despite the strictness of the law in the digital age, evils like ‘Triple Talaq’ and ‘Halala’ are not leaving the society. A heart-wrenching case has come to light from Phulwariya police station area of Begusarai district, where a husband not only divorced his wife by sending a message on WhatsApp, but also put an abominable condition of doing ‘Halala’ with his father-in-law or brother-in-law to live together again.
The victim has now approached the National Women’s Commission pleading for justice.
The period of harassment started only after three months of marriage.
30-year-old Rukhsana Khatoon, resident of Shokahara-2 Kalambagh, was married to Mohammad Maqbool, resident of Pokharia, on 11 March 2022. Rukhsana alleges that just three months after the marriage, husband Maqbool, father-in-law Akbar, mother-in-law Asrun and brother-in-law Rabban started demanding additional dowry of Rs 5 lakh. When his demands were not met, he was mentally and physically tortured and thrown out of the house.
Fraud of lakhs and deadly attack in the name of business
According to the victim, after the agreement, the husband took her to Delhi, where Rs 5 lakh was taken by mortgaging her mother’s jewelery in the name of business. Not only this, Maqbool also forcibly broke the FD of Rs 1.40 lakh kept for the future of Rukhsana’s daughter from her first marriage. Rukhsana claims that her husband has already extorted around Rs 16-17 lakh from her. In July 2022, when the money was demanded back, a fatal attack was carried out on Rukhsana’s brother.
Divorce and Halala condition on WhatsApp
The limits of cruelty were crossed when on 20 February 2024, Maqbool sent the message ‘talaq, talaq, talaq’ to Rukhsana on WhatsApp. When Rukhsana pleaded, the husband set a condition that to come back she would have to perform ‘Halala’ with her father-in-law or brother-in-law. After this, on March 17, 2024, the accused married again and, raising questions on Rukhsana’s character, refused to adopt his own son.
Question on police working style
The victim’s lawyer Abhishek Jaiswal alleges that instead of imposing appropriate sections (Triple Talaq Act and Section 307) on the accused, the police, under the influence of her husband, registered a case of theft against the victim herself. Seeing the seriousness of the matter, National Commission for Women member Mamta Kumari has taken cognizance. He said, “Giving triple talaq over phone is illegal. We have sought a detailed report from the concerned police officer within two days. Awareness about the laws against dowry and triple talaq in the society is very important.”