A four-member panel of women lawyers has been set up by the Kerala State Commission for Minorities in each of the 14 districts to offer free legal aid to Muslim women divorced under the instantaneous triple talaq.
P.K. Haneefa, chairman of the commission, told The Hindu on Wednesday that the lawyers would offer all legal support to talaq victims who were denied of their legal rights and reasonable compensation with the reckless exercise of the divorce option sans any religious sanctity. It will empower women to challenge the reasons that led to talaq and even get it overturned, he said.
“Though not many triple talaq cases have come up before the commission, we know that several women are silently suffering in the absence of proper legal support and guidance. The commission’s new initiative aims to fill in this gap,” Mr. Haneefa said adding that it would not interfere in faith-related issues of any particular religion but would expose those who deny women their legal rights of marriage.
Mainly, the services of seasoned lawyers would be made available for those women who were denied reasonable maintenance charges to look after the family and children after the divorce. Members of the rights panel pointed out that ignorance of law and limited freedom for decision making have literally silenced several women to fight for their justice. For the quick availability of legal aid, the commission has also come out with a helpline in Thiruvananthapuram. The helpline - 04712-315122 - can be contacted to request the services of the advocates’ panel at ones own home district.
Officials at the State headquarters of the commission said they received the first request for free legal aid on Wednesday through the helpline. “We got the call from Kollam district and the advocates’ panel will shortly take up the case for legal aid,” the officials said.
Last year, the Kerala High Court had come out with strong rejection to the practice of triple talaq and stressed the lawmakers' duty to help women get them justice. Hearing a batch of pleas on triple talaq grievances, Justice Mohammed Musthaq had observed that the State was constitutionally bound to respect the promise of dignity and equality before the law and that it could not shirk its responsibility by remaining mute spectator to Muslim women's sad plight in the name of religion.
