India's top court has ruled the practice of instant divorce in Islam unconstitutional, marking a major victory for women's rights activists.
In a 3-2 majority verdict, the court called the practice "un-Islamic".
India is one of a handful of countries where a Muslim man can divorce his wife in minutes by saying the word talaq (divorce) three times.
The landmark court decision came in response to petitions challenging the so-called "triple talaq" custom.
The cases were filed by five Muslim women who had been divorced in this way and two rights groups.
Women's rights campaigners have hailed the court's decision as a historic win.
There have been cases in which Muslim men in India have divorced their wives by issuing the so-called triple talaq by letter, telephone and, increasingly, by text message, WhatsApp and Skype. A number of these cases made their way to the courts as women contested the custom. [BBC] Read more
