Affected women invoke new law

A day after President Ram Nath Kovind gave assent to the Triple Talaq Bill passed by Parliament on Tuesday, three men have been booked under the new law.

Maharashtra on Thursday registered its first case, with the Mumbra police booking a Vikhroli resident for allegedly sending his wife a triple talaq message on WhatsApp. The other two cases were in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

Mumbra police said Jannat Patel on Thursday filed a complaint against her husband Imtiaz Gulam Patel, alleging that he had an extramarital affair and married his mistress after sending a triple talaq message on WhatsApp. Senior inspector Madhukar Kad said that though the incident occurred in November, she approached the police on Thursday. Police in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, registered a case against Ikram for pronouncing triple talaq on his wife, Jumirat.

Her statement was recorded and an FIR was registered.

Police said Ms. Patel, an MBA, married Imtiaz in 2015. In her complaint she has alleged that her husband also pronounced triple talaq on phone. She claimed that Mr. Patel, his mother and his sister had repeatedly harassed her for dowry for three years, even assaulting her when she refused.

“We have also booked all the three accused for harassment for dowry,” Mr. Kad said.

While Mr. Patel now lives in Vikhroli with his current wife, Ms. Patel has a six-month-old son, with whom she stays in Mumbra.

In the second incident, Ikram, a resident of Haryana’s Nuh district, had married Jumirat about two years ago and was demanding ₹1 lakh as dowry from his in-laws, who are residents of Mathura.

The victim had returned to her maternal home following harassment and lodged a complaint with the local police. The couple was then called to the all-women police station in the district for reconciliation, sub inspector Ruchi Tyagi said.

Both did reach a compromise after several counselling sessions. On July 30, they were called again by the police, she added.

However, as they stepped out of the police station, Ikram pronounced triple talaq on his wife after his mother-in-law expressed inability to fulfil his dowry demand.

The police said Ms. Patel, an MBA, married Imtiaz in 2015. In her complaint, she has alleged that her husband also pronounced triple talaq on phone. She claimed that Mr. Patel, his mother and his sister had repeatedly harassed her for dowry for three years, even assaulting her when she refused. “We have also booked all the three accused for harassment for dowry,” Mr. Kad said.

In the third case, Salauddin, 23, also from Haryana’s Nuh district, was booked for allegedly pronouncing triple talaq on his wife over phone.

(With PTI inputs)