No pre-arrest bail for man booked under triple talaq law

THANE: The district sessions court recently rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Imtiaz Patel (35), a Mumbra resident who is accused of divorcing his pregnant wife by pronouncing triple talaq over a WhatsApp message in November 2018. Patel, who works in UAE, was booked along with his mother and sister after his widfe filed a complaint under the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill that was passed recently.
The court admitted the bail plea of Patel's mother and sister who were also booked for domestic violence.
Mumbra police is now looking for Patel who is on the run. "He was booked for violating the triple talaq law. We are likely to arrest him soon," said senior inspector M S Kad.
A few activists questioned the validity of the case as the incident occurred in November last year but was reported only two days after the bill was passed. "Can such cases be booked in retrospect?" asked one such activist.