Cases of triple talaq dropped by 80 pc after enactment of law: Kerala Governor

New Delhi: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Monday said that cases of divorces in the Muslim community have dropped by 80 per cent since the Muslim Women (Protection Of Rights On Marriage) Act was enacted.

Speaking at the book launch event of 'Accelerating India: Seven Years of Modi Government' at the Upa-Rashtrapati Nivas in the national capital, Khan said: "The government has put an end to the obnoxious practice of triple talaq which according to the Supreme Court was not only in the consonance of scriptures but being arbitrary it also violated the Constitution of India."

He said the practice had continued before a law was brought. "I had an experience of triple talaq atrocities with one of my acquaintances, tried to help but failed," he said.

"The government has to look after those who are being oppressed. In this matter of triple talaq, the government has created history. There is a decline of 80 per cent in the divorce rate due to this law," he added.

The Ministry of Minority Affairs had earlier said that August 1 will be observed as "Muslim Women Rights Day" across the country to celebrate the enactment of the law against triple talaq.

Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi had said, "The Government enacted the law against Triple Talaq on August 1, 2019, which has made the social malpractice of Triple Talaq a criminal offence."

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage), Act, 2019, criminalises instant 'triple talaq' among Muslims and attracts a jail term of three years for the husband.

The Act was the first bill introduced in Parliament after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government was re-elected to power in 2019.