WhatsApp Divorce: Controversy Erupts as Man Uses Banned "Triple Talaq" to End Marriage

Hyderabad, 20 May (H.S): A 32-year-old man has caused controversy after allegedly pronouncing the banned ?triple talaq? to his 28-year-old wife through a WhatsApp audio message. The man, identified as Abdul Ateeq, is a resident of KRK Colony in Adilabad town and had been married to Jasmine since 2017.

The couple has two daughters and had been frequently quarreling over various issues for the past two years. In February 2023, Jasmine filed a harassment complaint against Ateeq, but he failed to pay the court-ordered maintenance amount. Recently, Jasmine approached the authorities again, which may have frustrated Ateeq, who has reportedly remarried. As a result, he sent a WhatsApp audio message declaring ?triple talaq? to Jasmine. This led to a case being registered against Ateeq under the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019, which criminalizes triple talaq.

The Adilabad Women?s Police Station (WPS) Inspector G. Srinivas confirmed the arrest. It is worth noting that the practice of triple talaq was deemed illegal and unconstitutional by the Parliament of India in July 2019 and became a punishable offense starting August 2019.