Mumbai: A man from Maharashtra’s Bhiwandi has been booked for allegedly giving his wife instant ‘triple talaq’ after she failed to bring a motorcycle in dowry, despite the practice being a criminal offence under Indian law. According to Thane Police, the woman has accused her husband and in-laws of dowry harassment and illegal divorce.
As per the FIR, the woman travelled with her husband to his native village in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, soon after their wedding. On reaching there, her husband and in-laws allegedly rejected the dowry as “insufficient”, even though her family had given a refrigerator, washing machine, furniture and a gold ring, and began pressuring her family to provide a motorcycle as well. She claimed that within three days of marriage she started facing mental and physical harassment over the unmet demand.
The complaint states that her husband and his family repeatedly abused, humiliated and assaulted her, culminating on October 21 when she was allegedly thrown out of the house after he pronounced triple talaq. The victim then returned to Bhiwandi in a distressed state and approached Bhoiwada Police Station, where she filed a complaint on November 29 naming her husband, parents-in-law and two other relatives as accused. Police have registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to dowry harassment and assault, along with sections of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, which criminalises instant triple talaq.
Officers said the investigation is in progress and further action will follow based on the evidence gathered. The woman has said the sustained abuse left her mentally traumatised and that the sudden termination of her marriage through an illegal form of divorce caused severe emotional distress; she is currently staying with her family in Bhiwandi. The incident has emerged shortly after a similar case from Mumbai’s Govandi area, where a 25-year-old woman alleged that her husband gave her triple talaq following ongoing mental and physical harassment, leading to a separate police case against him and his family.
(Inputs from IANS)