New Delhi: Even as the country debates the contentious issue of triple talaq, a Samajwadi Party (SP) leader has justified the practice, saying it is better than killing one’s wife.

SP leader Riyaz Ahmed, who also heads the party’s minority panel, said if a wife has illicit relations with another man, then her husband can either kill her or give her triple talaq.

“Shariat says talaq should be given in three stages whereas triple talaq has been kept as an option. For instance, if you find your wife in a compromising situation with another man, what will you do? You will either kill her or give triple talaq to get rid of her,” ANI reported Ahmed as saying.

Comparing the divorce rate among Hindus and Muslims, Ahmed also said the rate was higher among Hindus but only triple talaq got attention.

The SP leader also demanded that separate reservation for Muslim women must be provided under the women’s reservation bill, the Swarajya magazine reported.

Last year in August, the Supreme Court had declared the practice of triple talaq as unconstitutional.