60-yr-old man booked for triple talaq in Rajasthan

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A 60-year-old caretaker at the Ajmer Dargah has been booked for allegedly harassing and pronouncing triple talaq on his 26-year-old wife, believed to be the first such case in Rajasthan after the enactment of a law to punish the practice. The police initially lodged the FIR under section 498-A of IPC, which deals with cruelty against married women, on Tuesday night.

They added sections of The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019 on Thursday after seeking legal opinion. The woman accused the police of not taking action on her earlier complaints about the alleged atrocities by her husband Salimuddin, but the police denied the charge.

"I met him through a common friend. He made several promises to me at the time of marriage but later started torturing me. I gave several complaints to the police but no action was taken," she told reporters. Ajmer's Additional Superintendent of Police Sarita Singh said the FIR has been lodged with Dargah police station.

"She has alleged that her husband pronounced triple talaq. She also named some witnesses to it and this is being verified. The FIR was registered as soon as she gave the complaint," the officer said.

The woman's statement was recorded by the police on Thursday. No arrest was reported till the evening. Dargah station house officer Hem Raj said the two married in 2017 and, according to the woman, Salimuddin started harassing her a month after the wedding. Days after the enactment of the legislation, reports of FIRs being registered under it have come from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The law punishes instant divorce through talaq-e-biddat, practised by some Muslim men.

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Edited by mid-day online desk with inputs from Agencies