Triple talaq ban
Muslim women display placards during a protest against a bill passed by India's lower house of Parliament that aims at prosecuting Muslim men who divorce their wives through the "triple talaq," or instant divorce, in Ahmedabad, India, January 7, 2018.REUTERS/Amit Dave

The Uttar Pradesh Police has been ordered to ensure the safety of a woman who was attacked with acid last week for refusing to accept triple talaq and undergo nikah halala.

The senior superintendent of police of Bulandshahr would be held liable for the safety and security of Shabnam Rani, the Supreme Court said on Monday, September 17.

Rani is one of the petitioners in the nikah halala and polygamy case in the Supreme Court.

A report in the Hindustan Times stated that on Friday, September 14, the Supreme Court had sought a response from the Uttar Pradesh government on a plea by Shabnam who was attacked with acid by her brother-in-law for "refusing to undergo nikah halala" with him. The attack took place while she was on her way to file a complaint after being allegedly assaulted by her in-laws on Wednesday, September 12.

After the attack, she approached the apex court for security and medical treatment. She had earlier approached the top court after her husband gave her triple talaq one and a half years after their marriage. She has been living with her in-laws in Bulandshahr despite the talaq.

In August 2017, the Supreme Court in a landmark verdict banned triple talaq, a controversial Islamic practice of instant divorce as arbitrary and unconstitutional.

According to News18, numerous petitions have been filed in the apex court challenging the prevalent practices of polygamy, 'nikah halala', 'nikah mutah' (temporary marriage among Shias) and 'nikah misyar' (short-term marriage among Sunnis) on the grounds that these were violative of the Articles 14, 15 and 21.

Under 'nikah halala', if a Muslim woman, after getting divorced by her husband three times on different instances, wants to go back to him, she has to marry another person and then divorce the second husband to get re-married to her first husband.