Patna man gets 2 yrs’ RI for triple talaq; acquitted of acid attack charge

A Patna court has sentenced a man to two years of rigorous imprisonment for pronouncing instant triple talaq on his wife, according to news agency PTI reported on Saturday.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Rajiv Ranjan Sahay convicted Naushad Ahmed on Thursday under the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019, and Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 341 (wrongful restraint) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The court also fined Ahmed Rs 6,500. Failure to pay the fine would attract an additional one month and 22 days of imprisonment. However, he was acquitted of the charge of attempting to throw acid on his wife.

According to an FIR registered at Phulwari Sharif police station in September 2022, Ahmed, a resident of Simri village, pronounced triple talaq on his wife on September 5 that year. The couple had been married for nearly 21 years and have three children. The woman alleged that Ahmed assaulted her and their children and attempted to throw acid on her. Police filed a chargesheet in the case on July 31, 2023.

Speaking to the media, Ahmed’s lawyer, Shekhar Kumar, said the prosecution had failed to establish the acid attack allegation. He also questioned the conviction on the other charges and said Ahmed, who is currently out on bail, would challenge the verdict in the high court. Kumar said the defence was awaiting a copy of the court order. He added that this was the first time a sentence had been handed down in a triple talaq case in Patna district.

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019, makes the pronouncement of instant triple talaq void and illegal and provides for a jail term of up to three years and a fine for the husband. The Lok Sabha passed the bill on July 25, 2019, followed by the Rajya Sabha on July 30. The Act came into force retrospectively from September 19, 2018.