Women’s rights groups in India are celebrating a Supreme Court ruling that blocked a procedure by which women can be divorced by their husbands instantly, effectively ending divorce by text.

India was until Tuesday one of only a handful of countries to permit “talaq-e-biddat”, known as triple-talaq, or instant divorce.

Men can divorce their wives by repeating the word “talaq” three times, even over Skype, WhatsApp or text message.

Triple-talaq is banned in countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh, yet until Tuesday's ruling it was a legal way for men to separate from India's 90 million Muslim women.

Women could not divorce their husbands in the same way.

India is officially secular but allows Muslim, Hindu and Christian communities to govern personal matters, such as marriage and divorce, independently.

The Supreme Court was asked to rule on the procedure by a coalition of women’s rights groups and women who had been divorced under talaq.