Class I government official Sarfaraz Khan Bihari (34) has been in news this entire week. His use of the instant triple talaq to divorce his wife in 2019, not only defied the IPC but also overstepped his brief as a government servant. On Wednesday, additional chief judicial magistrate G.S. Darji held him accountable on the third count: his act was in clear disregard of the Prophet’s preaching which denounced the “triple talaq” as “most detestable in the eyes of God.”
The court held Bihari guilty of violating the Muslim Women (Protection Of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019, along with other IPC charges. The practice of instant triple talaq was declared invalid by the Supreme Court and prohibited via legislation in 2019.
The learned court further observed that the offender’s extra-marital relationship and divorce just to marry his love interest, even if adjudged in this world, would never be forgiven by God. The judge again quoted the religious text: “Marrying for the second time against the wishes of the first wife, cannot be pardoned or ignored if viewed from the Prophet’s teachings and in the eyes of God.”
His wife. Shehnaz Banu, while hailing the judgement, thanks Modi Bhai for taking a pro-active stance and ridding Muslim women of the triple talaq misuse. The court of additional senior civil judge sentenced Bihari, a deputy engineer, to a year in jail and has imposed a fine of ₹ 5,000. The couple have a daughter, now in the mother’s custody.
