Ahmedabad: A city sessions court on Thursday denied anticipatory bail to a Muslim lawyer, citing the requirement of police remand after his wife accused him of pronouncing triple talaq.The case was registered by Shahpur police on the complaint of the woman, who has been married to the accused for 20 years and has two children with him. She alleged that he pronounced triple talaq in the presence of her relatives on July 25, and said in the complaint that it was not a valid way to end the marriage.The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019 criminalises the act of unilateral triple talaq, punishable with imprisonment for up to three years. The lawyer is facing charges under the 2019 Act as well as under BNS for domestic violence.In his anticipatory bail application, the accused denied the allegations and claimed the charge of triple talaq was fabricated to make a domestic quarrel appear more serious. He also denied allegations of assault and harassment. The investigating officer opposed the plea and submitted that there was a need for custodial interrogation in this case.After the hearing, additional sessions judge J I Patel noted that the lawyer, in his affidavit, has stated that he has not given talaq to his wife. “In such circumstances, it is the subject matter of investigation whether the applicant has really given divorce or not…Since he is a lawyer by profession, his custodial interrogation appears necessary,” the court said while rejecting the anticipatory bail application.
