Feature
SC strikes down instant practice of Triple Talaq as ‘unconstitutional’
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down that the instant divorce practice of triple talaq among Muslim community is ‘void’, ‘illegal’ and “unconstitutional”. The constitution bench, headed by the Chief Justice J S Khehar, delivered a split verdict nullifies the practice as part of the Muslim Personal Law.
The majority judgment came from three judges Justice Rohinton Nariman, Justice Kurien Joseph and Justice UU Lalit. CJI JS Khehar and Justice S Abdul Nazeer wrote the minority judgment.
The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the instant divorce practice of triple talaq among Muslims is “void”, “illegal” and “unconstitutional”. The apex court by 3:2 verdict held that the triple talaq is against the basic tenets of Quran.
While Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice S Abdul Nazeerwere in favour of putting on hold for six months the practice of triple talaq, asking the government to come out with a law in this regard, Justices Kurian Joseph, R F Nariman and U ULalit held it as violative of the Constitution.
Here are some Political reactions:
Salman Khurshid said what we hoped to happen has now happened, it is a good decision. This decision portrays the truth, reality and the true spirit of Islam.
Dr. SY Qureshi said “Supreme Court bars triple talaaq till Parliament makes a law. Asks Parliament to make a law. AIMPLB (All India Muslim Personal Law Board) lost an opportunity to introduce this reform itself”, tweeted Qureshi.
Petitioner Shayara Bano: I welcome and support the judgement of the apex court. It’s a historic day for Muslim women.
BJP Minister Vijay Goel: The Central government now has the support of Muslim women on the issue of Triple Talaq.
Shivraj Singh Chauhan: Welcome Supreme Court’s judgement, request Central Government to bring in legislation soon.
Member of AIMPLB- Z. Jilani: We have respected SC’s judgements in past, today’s judgement on Triple will also be considered by us.
Maneka Gandhi: It’s a good judgement and it’s another step towards gender justice and gender equality.
Congress party: The Congress today welcomed the Supreme Court decision striking down instant triple talaq.
“The Supreme Court decision striking down triple talaq is a progressive decision which all right thinking people must welcome,” senior Congress leader Manish Tewari told a newpaper.
He said, “If you go into the constitutional history of India, the framers of the Indian Constitution had abolished untouchability by inserting an article right at the inception it was article 17.”
“At that point in time somebody could have argued that untouchability was intrinsic to the Hindu faith. But the framers of the Constitution took a very constructive view. And similarly by a judicial fiat something which is impacting the rights of Muslim women has now been done away with.
Entertainment
Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.