In a shocking incident in Uttar Pradesh’s Bairiyahi village, a 40-year-old woman named Tarannum faced the brunt of an unexpected divorce when her 44-year-old spouse, Mohammad Abdul Rasheed, pronounced triple talaq over a WhatsApp call. The bizarre turn of events unfolded after Tarannum selflessly donated her kidney to save her ailing brother’s life. Mohammad Abdul Rasheed, currently employed in Saudi Arabia, allegedly pressured her to ask for Rs 40 lakh for the organ, leading to the divorce.
Tarannum, a resident of Bairiyahi village under the Dhanepur police station in the Gonda district, revealed that she and Mohammad Abdul Rasheed had been married for approximately twenty to twenty-five years. After facing infertility issues for five years, he remarried and pursued a career in Saudi Arabia. Tarannum shared that her brother, Mohammad Shakir, had been battling a kidney condition for the past 18 months.
She claimed to have obtained her husband’s approval before deciding to donate one of her kidneys to her ailing brother. However, following the successful transplant and her brother’s recovery, Mohammad Abdul Rasheed allegedly increased pressure on her to procure a substantial amount, which she refused. Subsequently, he shockingly pronounced triple talaq over a WhatsApp call, leading to her expulsion from her in-laws’ residence. Tarannum is currently residing at her parents’ home.
Upon filing a complaint, the police have initiated legal action against the accused, and charges will be pressed upon his return to India. Radheshyam Rai, Additional Superintendent of Police, confirmed the registration of a case and assured that necessary steps are being taken in the matter.
It is noteworthy that triple talaq was declared illegal in 2019 with the enactment of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act. The law prohibits triple talaq and imposes a maximum three-year prison sentence. The Supreme Court has outlined that anticipatory bail may be granted in such cases, provided the court hears from the complainant woman before approving pre-arrest bail. The incident highlights the persistence of regressive practices despite legal prohibitions.
Earlier this week Organiser reported a case from Haryana where, a woman faced triple talaq and halala as her in-laws justified it in the name of religion.
The woman involved initially faced abandonment by her husband through the controversial method of instant triple talaq. Subsequently, she was coerced into a purported marriage, only to become a victim of sexual assault. The harrowing ordeal continued as she was subjected to rape by her brother-in-law, ostensibly under the guise of an Islamic custom known as ‘Halala’. Shockingly, when she confided in her mother-in-law about these traumatic experiences, she was met with rejection and told that such incidents were commonplace within the Islamic faith.
