This is a historic day: Shayara Bano

New Delhi: Shayara Bano is the first petitioner in the case that led the Supreme Court to pass a verdict declaring the practice of triple talaq unconstitutional.

Bano, 36, a native of Kashipur, Uttarakhand, with a master’s degree in sociology, filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the apex court in 2016, seeking a ban on the practice of instantaneous divorce after her 14-year-marriage ended abruptly in October 2015.

Bano has been joined by at least five other women from different parts of the country, seeking a similar ban. But since hers was the first petition, this case is known as Shayara Bano versus the Union of India.

In a 2016 piece in Mint , Bano said she believes triple talaaq, polygamy and nikah halala violate her fundamental right to dignity and equality.

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“I don’t want any other woman to go through what was done to me. Nobody should be divorced like this,” she said, referring to the letter sent by her husband that ended her marriage.

Along with the letter, she received a cheque for Rs15,651, the mehr amount promised to her at the time of marriage. “Women are getting divorced by SMS, on Skype, over Whatsapp. Is this a joke?” she said in the 2016 Mint piece.

Bano’s two children were taken away from her and she was forced to leave her hometown.

Welcoming the verdict, Bano told ANI: “I welcome and support the judgement. This is a historic day for Muslim women. Understand the condition of women in Muslim society, accept the judgement and bring a law on it as soon as possible.”