Background

Talaq-e-biddat, more popularly known as Triple Talaq, instant divorce, is a form of Islamic divorce used by Indian Muslims. Triple Talaq allows any married Muslim man to legally divorce his wife by stating the word ‘talaq’ (Arabic for "divorce") three times in oral, written, or more recently, in the electronic form. The husband did not need to state a reason for divorcing his wife and it was not necessary for the wife to be present at the time of the divorce.



Triple Talaq as a practice is not sanctioned by the Quran or Sharia law and is also highly disapproved by Muslim legal scholars, but it is legal in Sunni Islamic jurisprudence. The custom has come under a lot of criticism for being unilateral, unfair, biased against women and has been associated with issues of justice, equality, secularism, and violation of Universal Human Rights. The practice is banned in 22 countries of the world, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, and Morocco.