BENGALURU: The Karnataka government on Friday said it has rejected the criminalisation of “triple talaq” which was passed by the Lok Sabha on December 28.Representative of the Karnataka government and minister for minority welfare, Tanveer Sait on Friday said, “The government, at my level, has decided to reject the legislation on criminalising triple talaq .”Sait said that the Centre on December 11 had written to the state government seeking its opinion on the legislation of criminalising triple talaq.“However, we have not replied to the Centre on this matter which in effect means that we have rejected it,” said Sait.The minister said, despite the Lok Sabha having passed the legislation, it is still not official and that it can always be “legally” challenged. While the legal challenge is at a latter date, as of now it is yet to be ratified by the states.The minister will be calling for a meeting of Karnataka minority MLAs and the religious heads of the Muslim community in the state early next week.“Once we hold the meeting and discuss the issue, a detailed reply to the Centre on their effort to seek Karnataka stand will be dispatched,” said the minister.Elaborating on the reasons for rejecting the act, Sait said that the legislation was misleading the people on the tenets and essence of Islam which has been captured in the Muslim personal law.“Each belief has its own legislations. While for the Hindus there is the Hindu endowment and succession acts, the Muslims have the Muslim personal law. There is an effort to misguide the common man and bring the Muslims under the uniform civil code, and that by just saying talaq three times, it is officially pronounced that the marriage has ended. In Muslim marriages, there are five people, including three independent persons outside the family of the bride and groom who are involved. Similarly, there is a detailed and long procedure involved in either the Khula (for women seeking separation) or talaq (Divorce sought by men),” he exhorted.Sait said it is a common misconception that there are more divorces in the Muslims due to the triple talaq.“In fact, I would say there are more number of divorces in the Hindus and other communities than the Muslims,” he said.