First case under triple talaq law in Bengaluru

Bengaluru has reported the first complaint under the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019, which makes the practice of triple talaq a non-bailable offence punishable with three years’ imprisonment.

Sameerullah Rahmath, a 38-year-old HR executive at a reputable multinational, has been booked under the new law and IPC sections pertaining to dowry harassment for divorcing his wife through triple talaq.

A resident of Gurappanapalya on Bannerghatta Road, Rahmath has been summoned for questioning by the jurisdictional Suddagunte Palya police.

Married for 9 years

His wife Ayesha, 33, has accused him of harassing her physically and mentally ever since their marriage in 2010. She claimed that her father had gifted him a car worth Rs 7.5 lakh and gold jewellery worth Rs 10 lakh. But he wasn’t happy. She said he would complain that she was not beautiful and that he beat her in the presence of her father and relatives.

Demand for more dowry

A few days later, he demanded more dowry. Accordingly, her family paid him another Rs 7 lakh, Ayesha stated in the complaint.

But things didn’t work out between the couple. According to Ayesha, he moved her to another house but never stayed with her.

On September 14, around 9 pm, he came home and pronounced talaq three times. He asked her to consider it as divorce and left, she told DH.

Refuting the charges, Rahmath said his wife was a “spoilt brat” because her father was well-off.

He said he complained to her father about her “aggressive and dominating character” but he didn’t pay heed. “I changed three houses after marriage. I have been harassed regularly even after taking care of my wife and children,” he told this newspaper.