SC to hear plea of acid attack victim who refused triple talaq

The Supreme Court on Friday sought a response from the Uttar Pradesh government on a plea by a victim of an acid attack in Bulandshahr city a day earlier for refusing to accept a triple talaq.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud said it would hear the plea on September 17.

The victim, Shabnam Rani, was attacked with acid on Thursday by her brother-in-law for "refusing to undergo nikah halala" with him.

The attack took place while she was on her way to file a complaint after being allegedly assaulted by her in-laws on Wednesday.

After the attack, she approached the apex court for security and medical treatment.

Shabnam Rani is one of the women who have filed petitions against 'nikah halala' and polygamy in the apex court.

She had earlier approached the top court after her husband gave her triple talaq one and a half years after their marriage.

She has been living with her in-laws in Bulandshahr despite the talaq.

A batch of pleas have been pending before the apex court challenging the practice of polygamy, 'nikah halala', 'nikah mutah' (temporary marriage among Shias) and 'nikah misyar' (short-term marriage among Sunnis) on the grounds that these were violative of the Constitution's Articles 14, 15 and 21.

Under 'nikah halala', if a Muslim woman, after divorce by her husband three times on different instances, wants to go back to him, she has to marry another person and then divorce the second husband to get re-married to her first husband.

--IANS

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