Constitution bench of SC to hear triple talaq cases from May 11

A five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court will start hearing from May 11 petitions against the Islamic divorce practice of triple talaq that is said to be biased against women.

The court will hear pleas filed several Muslim women challenging the practice under which men can divorce their wives instantly by uttering the word talaq (divorce) thrice.

Triple talaq has faced repeated legal challenges in recent years, and the government has said it wants to replace it with a new uniform civil code applicable to all religious groups. But that proposal has met stiff opposition from Muslim groups, who argue that it would discriminate against them.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also thrown his weight behind triple talaq reform, saying it was his administration’s duty to ensure the rights of Muslim women were upheld.

India has separate sets of personal laws for each religion governing marriage, divorce, succession, adoption and maintenance. While Hindu law overhaul began in the 1950s and continues, activists have long argued that Muslim personal law has remained mostly unchanged.