But India remains the only country in the world where the triple talaq remains law. Which means that an Indian Muslim man, by the power invested in Section 2 of the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937, can, like the Beatles chorus line of ‘Back in the US/ Back in the US/ Back in the USSR’, divorce his wife by simply uttering ‘talaq, talaq, talaq’.
For a country that defines its secularism not along the thick line of separation between religion and state but by the all-embracing Article 14 of the Constitution — ‘The State shall not deny to any person equality before the law and equal protection of laws within the territory of India’ — circa 2017 India sure knows how to treat all laws as equal, but some laws more equal than others.
The Supreme Court, currently hearing arguments for petitions challenging the validity of the triple talaq, could soon well be discussing arguments pertaining to how many angels can be allowed to dance on a pinhead. [Economic Times] Read more
