Punishment for breach of the law could be up to three years of imprisonment. (Representational)
Highlights
- EK Ussam was arrested in Kerala's Kozhikode and produced before court
- An arrest warrant was issued against him after his wife petitioned court
- "He has not given her any of her rights," alleged the woman's lawyer
Nearly two weeks after the parliament cleared the contentious Triple Talaq bill, a man in his early thirties was arrested in Kerala today for allegedly giving instant divorce to his wife by uttering the word "talaq" (divorce) thrice.
E.K. Ussam was arrested by the Kozhikode police under the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019 and produced before a court in Thamarassery today. This is believed to the first such arrest in a triple talaq case in Kerala after the parliament approved the bill last month.
An arrest warrant was issued against the man last Thursday after his wife petitioned the court, according to the Mukkam police. He is out on bail currently.
"The man took his wife abroad after their marriage to a country in the Gulf region. Soon, he started abusing and assaulting her. He then brought her back to India and gave her triple talaq on August 1. He is now married to another woman," alleged the woman's lawyer, Anwar Sadique.
"The petitioner's gold is still with the man. He has not given her any of her rights, including financial dues, when he divorced her and married someone else," he added.
The Triple Talaq Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on July 25 and by the Rajya Sabha on July 30. According to the bill, an instant triple talaq in any form -spoken, in writing, or electronically - is illegal and void.
Punishment for breach of the law could be up to three years of imprisonment.