India's top court finds Muslim divorce law 'unconstitutional'
NEW DELHI - India's Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled a controversial Muslim quick divorce law unconstitutional, a landmark victory for Muslim women who had long argued that it violated their right to equality.
The law allows Muslim men to divorce their wives simply by uttering the word "talaq" three times. Muslim women say they have been left destitute by husbands divorcing them through "triple talaq," including by Skype and WhatsApp.
Under the ruling, the government will need to frame a new divorce law, which would abolish the practice by making it illegal.
The ruling was delivered by a panel of five male judges from different faiths - Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism. Three of the five ruled that the practice was unconstitutional, overruling the senior-most judge in India, the chief justice.
