Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court has ruled that a Muslim marriage can be dissolved through ‘Mubaraat’, a form of divorce wherein couples can end their marriage through verbal mutual consent without a written agreement in place.

A bench of Justices AY Kogje and NS Sanjay Gowda made the observation while recently setting aside a Rajkot family court order which rejected a suit filed by a Muslim couple seeking dissolution of marriage by ‘Mubaraat, a form of divorce by mutual consent.

The bench sent the matter back to the family court and asked it to conclude the proceedings preferably within a period of three months.

Disagreeing with the family court’s stand that a written agreement is necessary to dissolve the wedlock, the HC, citing the Quran, Hadith and Muslim Personal Law, noted that such an agreement is not necessary if a Muslim couple seeks dissolution of marriage through mutual consent.

Following a marital discord, a young Muslim couple from Rajkot had approached the family court for declaration of their marriage to have been dissolved by ‘Mubaraat’, which according to the couple, is recognized as a form of divorce by the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937.

However, the family court rejected the suit holding the petition for declaration of dissolution of marriage by way of ‘Mubaraat’ is not maintainable in the present form, the HC order stated.

The couple challenged the order in the HC, saying the lower court had committed “an error in holding that Mubaraat Agreement is sine qua non (an essential condition) for entertaining such suit, whereas even as per Shariat, requirement of written agreement is not necessary at all”.

“It is argued that the family court has erroneously considered that agreement to part has only to be in Written Form, whereas Shariat does recognize agreement which is not even in written form,” the HC observed.

Citing religious texts and Personal Law, the HC noted “There is nothing to suggest that there has to be a written agreement of ‘Mubaraat’ nor there is a practice prevailing regarding maintaining of the register to record such agreement for mutually dissolved ‘Nikah’ (marriage).”

For the purpose of ‘Mubaraat’, the expression of a mutual consent for dissolution of ‘Nikah’ is sufficient to dissolve the marriage in itself, the bench stated.

The bench allowed the couple’s petition and set aside the lower court’s order and sent the matter back to it “to consider the family suit treating it to be maintainable and to proceed on merits”.

“With due regard to the age and future prospects of both the parties, the (high) court deems fit to direct the family court to conclude the proceedings as expeditiously as possible preferably within a period of three months from the date of receipt of the order of this court,” the bench said.

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court has ruled that a Muslim marriage can be dissolved through ‘Mubaraat’, a form of divorce wherein couples can end their marriage through verbal mutual consent without a written agreement in place.

A bench of Justices AY Kogje and NS Sanjay Gowda made the observation while recently setting aside a Rajkot family court order which rejected a suit filed by a Muslim couple seeking dissolution of marriage by ‘Mubaraat, a form of divorce by mutual consent.

The bench sent the matter back to the family court and asked it to conclude the proceedings preferably within a period of three months.

Disagreeing with the family court’s stand that a written agreement is necessary to dissolve the wedlock, the HC, citing the Quran, Hadith and Muslim Personal Law, noted that such an agreement is not necessary if a Muslim couple seeks dissolution of marriage through mutual consent.

Following a marital discord, a young Muslim couple from Rajkot had approached the family court for declaration of their marriage to have been dissolved by ‘Mubaraat’, which according to the couple, is recognized as a form of divorce by the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937.

However, the family court rejected the suit holding the petition for declaration of dissolution of marriage by way of ‘Mubaraat’ is not maintainable in the present form, the HC order stated.

The couple challenged the order in the HC, saying the lower court had committed “an error in holding that Mubaraat Agreement is sine qua non (an essential condition) for entertaining such suit, whereas even as per Shariat, requirement of written agreement is not necessary at all”.

“It is argued that the family court has erroneously considered that agreement to part has only to be in Written Form, whereas Shariat does recognize agreement which is not even in written form,” the HC observed.

Citing religious texts and Personal Law, the HC noted “There is nothing to suggest that there has to be a written agreement of ‘Mubaraat’ nor there is a practice prevailing regarding maintaining of the register to record such agreement for mutually dissolved ‘Nikah’ (marriage).”

For the purpose of ‘Mubaraat’, the expression of a mutual consent for dissolution of ‘Nikah’ is sufficient to dissolve the marriage in itself, the bench stated.

The bench allowed the couple’s petition and set aside the lower court’s order and sent the matter back to it “to consider the family suit treating it to be maintainable and to proceed on merits”.

“With due regard to the age and future prospects of both the parties, the (high) court deems fit to direct the family court to conclude the proceedings as expeditiously as possible preferably within a period of three months from the date of receipt of the order of this court,” the bench said.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said he was not upset with the sacking of K N Rajanna from the cabinet and that any notion in this regard was the opposition’s “imagination”.

During a discussion in the assembly, the opposition BJP took a swipe at the CM for “losing his ardent supporter” in his cabinet.

“K N Rajanna was your only supporter in the entire cabinet. We know that you are disturbed after his removal,” Ashoka told Siddaramaiah.

In reply, the Chief Minister said, “I am not upset. It’s all your imagination.”

Rajanna, a staunch Siddaramaiah supporter, was sacked as Cooperation Minister for his statement that the Karnataka government was responsible for the presence of alleged bogus and duplicate voters in the electoral roll.

The statement came as a big embarrassment to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, also the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha who has been alleging that the BJP came to power at the Centre with the help of bogus voters in the 2024 polls.

He had cited an example of alleged bogus voting in Mahadevapura assembly segment during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the Bengaluru Central parliamentary constituency.

Congress General Secretary and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi | PC: PTI

Bengaluru: local citizens’ group, has written to Congress General Secretary and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi, urging her to press the Indian National Congress (INC) to pass a resolution calling for a complete arms embargo on Israel.

In the letter, the group welcomed Priyanka Gandhi’s recent remarks condemning the killing of five Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza. In a post on X earlier in the day, Priyanka described the killings as a “cold blooded murder” and “yet another heinous crime committed on Palestinian soil.” She said the “immeasurable courage” of those who “dare to stand for the truth” would never be broken by “the violence and hatred of the Israeli state.”

She also said that “in a world where much of the media is enslaved to power and commerce, these brave souls reminded us of what true journalism is,” and expressed hope that the journalists would “rest in peace.” According to Al Jazeera, the journalists, including Anas al-Sharif, were killed in what it described as a targeted Israeli strike on a tent housing reporters near Gaza’s Al Shifa Hospital.

In their letter, the Bengaluru group noted that while her statements were timely, stronger action was needed. They urged her to push the Congress party to pass a resolution for a total ban on the export and transit of weapons, weapon components, and dual-use items to Israel. Direct the Karnataka state government to review and suspend contracts, grants, and schemes linked to Israeli defence companies and exports.

The group criticised Karnataka Congress leaders for attending pro-Israel events and fostering collaborations with Israeli officials and companies, citing examples such as Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao attending the “Haifa Memorial Lectures” in September 2024, and meetings between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Israeli consular officials announcing joint ventures.

The Bengaluru-based group had written to the INC last year after the Karnataka Deputy CM attended and facilitated the India-Israel Business Summit at IISc Bengaluru.

On August 6, the group wrote to Members of Parliament highlighting ties between nine Bengaluru-based companies and three Israeli arms manufacturers, Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries, and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. The companies named were Ace Inotec Manufacturing Pvt. Ltd., Alpha Design Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Alpha-Elsec Aerospace Systems, Amphenol Interconnect India Pvt. Ltd., Amphetronix Offset Interconnect Solutions Pvt. Ltd., DCX Systems Ltd., Defsys Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Indo-MIM Pvt. Ltd., SASMOS HET Technologies Ltd., and Wave Mechanics Pvt. Ltd.

The letter accused the companies of being complicit in the genocide of Palestinians and warned that India’s legacy of solidarity with Palestine was in danger. It urged MPs to support an arms embargo on Israel and cited Article 51 of the Indian Constitution, the Genocide Convention, and other legal frameworks as grounds for action.

New Delhi: Five MPs, including K C Venugopal of the Congress, wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday over the incident of a Thiruvananthapuram-Delhi flight they were travelling in being diverted to Chennai and demanded action on alleged “breach of privilege” by Air India.

Venugopal and party colleagues K Suresh, Adoor Prakash and Robert Bruce, along with CPI(M)’s K Radhakrishnan also wrote to Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu and demanded an immediate investigation into the incident.

In their letter to Birla, the five MPs said they wanted to bring to his attention the matter involving a “grave breach of privilege” by Air India, arising from events on Flight AI 2455 (Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi) on August 10.

“On the said date, we were travelling along with hundreds of other passengers. The flight, scheduled for 7:15 PM, eventually departed around 8:30 PM citing the late arrival of the incoming aircraft. From the outset, the journey was marked by prolonged turbulence. Passengers were instructed to remain strapped in, and even basic inflight services such as dinner were withheld,” the MPs said.

Midway through the flight, the pilot announced a critical technical fault — failure of the weather radar — and declared that the aircraft would be diverted to Chennai, they said.

“This raised immediate concern since other airports such as Bengaluru and Coimbatore were closer to our location at the time. The decision to proceed to a farther airport, while allegedly ‘flying blind’ remains unexplained,” the MPs wrote.

Upon reaching Chennai airspace, the aircraft did not land but continued to circle for more than an hour and the reason for this prolonged holding pattern was not clarified, they said.

“Eventually, during the first landing attempt, the aircraft had to execute a sudden go-around manoeuvre from a dangerously low altitude, reportedly due to ‘something’, possibly another aircraft on the runway, as per the pilot’s announcement. Only on the second attempt did we land safely. We were finally boarded and flown to Delhi on another aircraft past midnight,” the MPs said in their letter.

“Immediately after the incident, we placed the matter in the public domain through our social media accounts, highlighting the serious safety and procedural lapses witnessed first-hand. Instead of addressing these legitimate concerns, Air India has issued public statements portraying our account as false and misleading, thereby attempting to discredit elected Members of Parliament who were fulfilling their responsibility of raising issues of public safety,” they said.

“This attempt to question our credibility and publicly misrepresent our statements amounts to a direct breach of privilege, as it seeks to intimidate and deter Members from discharging their constitutional duty to raise matters affecting citizens’ safety and welfare,” they said.

In the wake of the recent tragic air accident in Ahmedabad and several reported mid-air technical glitches across the country, flight safety is a matter of deep public concern, Venugopal and the four other MPs said, adding that rather than showing transparency and accountability, Air India has resorted to denial.

“We, therefore, request that this matter be taken up as a breach of privilege against Air India, and necessary action be initiated to safeguard the rights of Members of Parliament and to ensure that public safety concerns are addressed with seriousness and transparency,” their letter to Birla said.

In their letter to the civil aviation minister, the MPs said that a time when the nation is still reeling from the recent tragic air accident in Ahmedabad and multiple reported mid-air technical incidents in recent months, such opacity from Air India is unacceptable.

“We therefore urge your ministry to order a comprehensive and time-bound investigation into this incident, covering both technical and procedural aspects, and to ensure that the findings are made public in full,” they said.

“We also request that clear accountability be fixed, operational protocols for emergency diversions and runway safety be strengthened, and passengers be given truthful and timely communication in such situations,” the MPs said.

Tagging both the letters, Venugopal said, “The harrowing experience we faced on our flight from Trivandrum to Delhi (AI2455) should serve as yet another wake up call for Air India, DGCA and the Civil Aviation Ministry to address the glaring lapses that result in such grave incidents.”

“Air India’s response to our concern was to label them as false — which is an attempt at discrediting MPs who are raising genuine concerns regarding safety of air travel. Along with MPs Kodikkunil Suresh, Adoor Prakash, Robert Bruce and K. Radhakrishnan, have written to the Hon’ble Speaker regarding this Breach of Privilege on part of Air India,” he said.

“We have also written to @MoCA_GoI demanding an immediate investigation into the incident,” he said.

Air India on Monday had said the crew of the Thiruvananthapuram-Delhi flight that was diverted to Chennai on Sunday followed the protocols and the first landing attempt had to be aborted due to suspected foreign debris presence on the runway amid safety concerns raised by some Parliamentarians who were on board the aircraft.

Aviation watchdog DGCA said the flight was diverted to Chennai due to suspected malfunctioning of the weather radar of the aircraft, which landed safely, amid some Parliamentarians who were on board the plane flagging safety concerns.

New Delhi: Former India cricketer Suresh Raina is expected to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) here on Wednesday for questioning in an alleged illegal betting app-linked money laundering case, official sources said.

Once he deposes, the federal probe agency is expected to record his statements under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Raina (38) has been asked to depose before the agency on August 13 for questioning in an illegal betting case linked to an app named 1xBet, the sources said.

The former India cricketer is understood to have been linked to the app through certain endorsements. The ED officials are expected to understand his links with this app during the questioning.

The agency is probing multiple such cases involving illegal betting apps that are alleged to have duped numerous people and investors worth crores of rupees or have evaded a huge amount of taxes.

Jaipur: A pickup van crashed into a parked truck in Rajasthan’s Dausa district in the early hours of Wednesday killing 11 people, including seven children, and injuring eight others, police said.

The passengers of the pickup vehicle were returning to their village in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah after visiting Khatu Shyam and Salasar Balaji temple when the accident occurred on Manoharpur highway around 4-5 am, Dausa Superintendent of Police Sagar told PTI.

Those killed include seven children and four women, he said.

Twenty people were on board the pickup vehicle when it rammed into a stationary truck in the service lane of the highway, the SP said, adding that one of the eight injured is in critical condition.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

New Delhi: In a subtle message directed at US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that India will never compromise on the interests of its farmers and dairy sector, and declared he was prepared to bear a significant personal cost if necessary.

The statement came a day after Trump ratcheted up tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent, even as the two nations discuss a bilateral trade deal. The trade deal has been struck over the US demand for greater access to India’s agricultural and dairy market.

It wants reduced tariffs on products like corn, soybeans, apples, almonds and ethanol, as well as increased access for US dairy products. New Delhi ishowever resisting these demands as these will have a direct bearing on farmers.

Hamare liye apane kisanon ka hit sarvoch prathamikta hai. Bharat apne kisanon, pashu paalakon aur macchuaare bhai-bahanon ke hiton ke saath kabhi bhi samjhuata nahin karega. (For us, the interests of farmers are our top priority. India will never compromise on the interests of its farmers dairy farmers and fishermen) Modi said addressing a three-day global conference to mark the birth centenary of late renowned agri-scientist M S Swaminathan.

To protect farmers’ interests, the prime minister said he was ready to personally pay the huge price. “Main jaanata hoon ki vyaktigat roop se mujhe bahut badee keemat chukaanee padegee. Lekin main iske liye taiyaar hoon.

Further he said Mere desh ke machhuaaron ke liye mere desh ke pashu paalokon ke liye aaj Bharat taiyaar hai. Today India is ready to pay the price for the fishermen and dairy farmers

Modi also released a commemorative coin and stamp in honour of the legendary scientist. During his address the prime minister highlighted various schemes implemented by the government for the all-around development of the farm and allied sector.

He stressed the need to sustain food production amid the growing challenges of climate change. Modi called for developing more climate-resilient varieties of crops, including heat-resistant.