One million Indian Muslims sign petition against triple talaq

New Delhi [India], Mar. 18 (ANI): With the battle against triple talaq gaining momentum by the day, over a million Muslims from across India with women in majority, have signed a petition to end the controversial divorce practice of triple talaq. According to the Quran, a man must consider his decision for a period of three months after he initially declared talaq, and divorce is only granted after the remaining two "talaqs" are stated. The petition was started by the Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM), an Islamic organization affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), reports CNN, adding that the positive response to the petition has been linked with the Bharatiya Janata Patry's recent success in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections. The BJP won in a landslide, taking 312 seats out of a total of 403, the biggest majority for any party in Uttar Pradesh since 1980. Muslims make up 18.5% of Uttar Pradesh's 200 million-strong population, the largest state in India, suggests the recent census. Several women have filed a petition before the Supreme Court seeking the quashing of the triple talaq practice. The Central Government has also told the top court that it is against gender injustice and for equality between men and women under the Constitution. However, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has defended the practice, saying it is better to divorce a woman than kill her. "The rights bestowed by religion can't be questioned in a court of law," it said. Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asserted that he favoured the discontinuation of 'triple talaq', stating that "lives of Muslim women cannot be allowed to be destroyed by triple talaq." He also targeted the opposition for 'politicising' the issue and supporting a gender discriminatory practice to appease their vote banks. (ANI)