'Triple Talaq' Over Phone From Saudi Renders Wife In UP Homeless
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Triple Talaq has been deemed illegal but it continues to haunt women as custom is yet to give way to law. Muslims continue to be governed by personal law, though piecemeal legislations have been introduced to usher in reforms from time to time. One such law in 2019 declared triple talaq as void and illegal. But ground reports suggest Muslim women are still subjected to unilateral divorce.
By Pranjal Gupta
Azamgarh, June 8: A man from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh pronounced instant triple talaq over phone from Saudi Arabia while asking his 25-year-old wife to leave the matrimonial home along with their 14-month-old daughter.
Salman Ahmed (name changed) took a mere few seconds to end the marriage contracted with Amina Khatoon (name changed) as per Muslim rites and customs over three years ago on November 15, 2022 while talking over a mobile phone on May 17, 2026. “Talaq deta hun tumko, Talaq deta hun, Talaq deta hun. Talaq ho chuka tere saath. Bata de raha hun. Aab tu wahan se nikal wahan se. Samjhi. (I am giving talaq to you, giving talaq, giving talaq. You are divorced now. I am telling you. Now you leave from there. Understood),” Salman said, while talking over mobile phone belonging to Amina’s cousin.
The instant triple talaq (talaq-e-biddat) was held to be unconstitutional in 2017 by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Shayara Bano case. This was followed by the enactment of The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act in 2019 which declared triple talaq as void and illegal. It was made an offence punishable with imprisonment extending up to 3 years.
The pronouncement of triple talaq is now illegal. But such incidents continue to be reported from across the country. Cases like that of Amina show that custom is yet to give way to law.
Amina’s father had sold his land to get his daughter married to Salman who was working in Saudi Arabia. But Amina’s life never got better. She faced constant torture and threat of divorce from Salman and his family for not bringing adequate dowry.
Salman’s father was not satisfied with a motorcycle, jewellery, valuable household items and Rs. one lakh in cash given as dowry at the time of marriage and agreed to take Amina along after asking her family to arrange for a car as his son was employed in Saudi Arabia. After some time, the in-laws allowed Amina to return back to her home but allegedly told her to come back after her family gave a car. But this did not happen. She returned back only to face physical and mental torture once again at the hands of her husband, father-in-law, mother-in-law and sister-in-law. Things got worse after she gave birth to a baby girl. She lost hearing in one ear after she was hit by her husband.
Finally, she was thrown out of the house with her 14-month-old daughter without her belongings and jewellery while her husband was away in Saudi Arabia. She contacted her husband with her cousin’s mobile phone on May 17. And heaven came falling. Seconds later she along with her daughter were rendered destitute.
Amina stood outside the house with her daughter. She borrowed her cousin’s phone to talk to Salman. Salman had a heated exchange with her cousin for not taking her away. Thereafter, he took the next few seconds to pronounce triple talaq.
The recording of the conversation was reviewed by The Slate. The intent of divorce is clear as after triple talaq Salman also made a declaration that divorce was through.
The new law enacted by the Narendra Modi-government had declared triple talaq as void but Amina’s society accepted it in the name of religion. Amina’s father made efforts to salvage the marriage at any cost. Amina could be subjected to halala (an inhuman practice of cohabiting with another man before she could be reunited with her husband) but she did not resist her family’s effort at reconciliation. However, all efforts to secure Amina and her daughter’s future failed.
Amina decided to go to the police despite threats from her in-laws that her family would face social boycott. But the indifference of the society only made her resolve stronger.
Azamgarh Police registered an FIR on May 28, 2026 under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 and the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019 against Salman, her father-in-law, her mother-in-law, her brother-in-law and her three sisters-in-law.
Salman is still in Saudi Arabia. The in-laws are residing in Seikhpura in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh. And Amina and her daughter are homeless. Presently, Amina is residing with her father but she is looking for a separate accommodation on rent.
The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019 declares such form of talaq as void and also provides for an imprisonment of three years for a Muslim husband resorting to it. The law makes the offence cognizable but it is compoundable with the wife having an option to withdraw the case after an agreement with the permission of court on such terms and conditions as determined by it. A husband accused of the offence can be released on bail only if the Magistrate after hearing the victim wife “is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for granting bail to such person”.
(Names have been changed to conceal identity)
