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Triple Talaq Petitioner Ishrat Jahan Boycotted By Family, Called A 'Dirty Woman'

She's fighting social boycott now.
Muslim women celebrate after verdict given by the Supreme Court for banning Triple Talaq.
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
Muslim women celebrate after verdict given by the Supreme Court for banning Triple Talaq.

As the nation celebrated the five women petitioners who worked tirelessly to abolish the triple talaq, one of them had no idea what she would face back at home after the Supreme Court struck down the system of instant divorce, saying it violated the right to equality enshrined in the Indian constitution.

Ishrat Jahan, a resident of Howrah, West Bengal, found herself in the middle of another battle right after she thought her ordeal would be over after the SC's historic ruling. Her family members and neighbours, reportedly furious at her for fighting the case in court, have decided to ostracize her.

"Ever since the Supreme Court verdict has come in, it has opened floodgates of expletives, insulting remarks and comments targeted at my character assassination from my neighbours and in-laws," Jahan told the Times Of India.

Many of her neighbours called her a 'gandi aurat' (dirty woman), enemy of men, and 'unislamic', while most of them have refused to talk to her.

Jahan's marriage of 15 years ended abruptly in April 2015 when her husband called her from Dubai by simply saying talaq three times. He re-married soon after.

Jahan alleged that her husband "insulted and harassed" her for having three daughters and said that he also forced her to have a "physical relationship" with his brother. When she had a son in 2014, it was "too late". Her husband had already made up his mind to marry another woman.

Soon after the divorce, Jahan alleged that her husband "kidnapped" the children and took them to live with his second wife. She wanted her children back, and maintenance from her husband, the "shocked and sad" Jahan told the paper.

Jahan lived with her husband's elder brother and his family in a house that was bought by her husband using her dowry money.

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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.