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Kerala Man Divorces Wife Of Four Weeks Over WhatsApp

Kerala Man Divorces Wife Of Four Weeks Over WhatsApp
Broken gold wedding rings
Mikhail Solovev via Getty Images
Broken gold wedding rings

A 21-year-old woman from Kerala has been divorced by her husband over WhatsApp after just four weeks of marriage, according to a report in the Times Of India.

The woman's husband left for Dubai 10 days after their marriage, and then followed up with a ‘triple talaq’ after three weeks over the popular message sharing app. The student, who was studying in a dental college, dropped out, left the home of her in-laws who allegedly ignored the talaq, and finally lodged a complaint at the women’s commission adalat in Pala, Kottayam.

A member of the women’s commission, J Prameela Devi revealed a shocking statement delivered to the victim: "He said she was like an apple, and he had already tasted it. So he did not want her anymore."

According to the report, the 'groom' had been paid a Rs 10-lakh dowry in addition to 80 sovereigns of gold by the bride’s mother. While the commission has questioned the validity of a talaq over WhatsApp, the incident has divided Islamic scholars.

A member of the Samastha Kerala Jam-Iyyathul Ulama claimed that the divorce is valid, however will be granted only after discussions are held within the family, and “if the husband sticks to his decision”.

However, another member of the same organisation questioned the validity of WhatsApp, saying it was not a legal document, and that the divorce should have happened in person.

The Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen state president finally put his foot down, saying that "Talaq should be done under unavoidable circumstances and conditions. Mandatory steps for talaq cannot be followed in WhatsApp."

The commission, has set out a search mission for the 27-year-old groom and has demanded that the man’s parents be presented during the next hearing.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.