Triple talaq crusader Ishrat Jahan ties rakhi to PM Modi

Ishrat Jahan, one of the key petitioners in the triple talaq case, on Thursday tied a rakhi on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's wrist on the auspicious occasion of Raksha Bandhan.

Jahan, moved the Supreme Court after her husband residing in Dubai divorced her in 2014 by uttering "Talaq" three times over the phone.

Modi's 'rakhi sister', Qamar Mohsin Shaikh, a Pakistani national who came to India after marriage, also tied the rakhi on his wrist and prayed for his good health.

"I get the opportunity to tie rakhi to elder brother once every year, I'm happy. I pray that the next five years go so well for him that the whole world recognizes the positive decisions he made," she said.

Shaikh also hailed the new law to criminalise the practice of instant triple talaq. "There is no provision of instant triple talaq in the Quran and Islam. No other than him could have taken this step (formation of law). He has done a very good job in interests of Muslim women," she said.

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage), Bill, 2019, which criminalises instant 'triple talaq' among Muslims and attracts a jail term of three years for the husband came into force on August 1. The parliament on July 30 gave nod to the bill.

Several other women and differently-abled children also interacted with Modi and tied the sacred thread on his wrist.

Raksha Bandhan, a festival that celebrates the bond between siblings, was celebrated with furore and enthusiasm across the country. Traditionally, on this day, sisters symbolically express their love by tying a sacred thread around their brother's wrist.