By Express News Service

BHOPAL: A month after the Narendra Modi government passed an ordinance making the illegal practice of instant triple-talaq a punishable offence carrying a jail term of up to three years, the first case under it in Madhya Pradesh has been registered in the poll-bound state’s Jhabua district, which neigbours the PM’s home state Gujarat.

The man

A case under the newly promulgated Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Ordinance 2018 was registered at Meghnagar police station of MP’s Jhabua district against Dahod (Gujarat) resident Arif Hussain Diwan and mother Hussain Bano on Wednesday. While Arif has been arrested, mother Hussain Bano is absconding.

According to Meghnagar police station in-charge Kushalsingh Rawat, the victim woman, who is a native of Sherani Mohalla in Meghnagar (Jhabua) was married to Dahod (Gujarat) resident Arif 10 years back. The couple has two children, including a daughter and son.

Right since marriage, Arif allegedly tortured wife for being obese. Unable to tolerate repeated mental and physical agony, the woman came to her brother’s house in Meghnagar recently. On October 12, Arif along with mother Hussain Bano to Meghnagar and verbally and physically abused his wife. Arif and mother also demanded dowry from the woman’s paternal family, before Arif uttered talaq-talaq-talaq to the woman to pronounce instant triple talaq to her.

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On Tuesday, the woman along with her kin came to Meghnagar police station and reported the entire episode, after which the police first booked her husband Arif and mother-in-law Hussain Bano under Sections 323, 498A, 506 and 34 of IPC.

The woman and her children.

The Meghnagar police station in-charge added that on Wednesday, the statements of the victim woman and witnesses were recorded before a court in Petlawad (Jhabua). After the recording of statements, the police registered a case under relevant sections of Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Ordinance 2018. While, the victim woman’s husband Arif has been arrested, co-accused mother-in-law is absconding.

This case is the first case registered under the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Ordinance 2018 in Madhya Pradesh.