'Talaq-E-Hassan' valid form of divorce, to be registered under new Act: Gauhati HC

You don’t have any Active Subscription.

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

The Gauhati High Court has held that ‘Talaq-E-Hassan’ is a valid form of divorce not prohibited in the country, directing a petitioner to approach the Barpeta jurisdictional Marriage and Divorce Registrar for registration of his divorce.

The Gauhati High Court has held that 'Talaq-E-Hassan' is a valid form of divorce not prohibited in the country, directing a petitioner to approach the Barpeta jurisdictional Marriage and Divorce Registrar for registration of his divorce under the Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriages and Divorce Act, 2024.

Justice Arun Dev Choudhury had passed the order on Tuesday (September 8, 2026) in a writ petition concerning registration of a divorce pronounced through Talaq-E-Hassan.

According to the petitioner, he got married in 2016, and following differences, his wife allegedly left the matrimonial home in 2018 while attempts at reconciliation did not succeed.

He subsequently pronounced Talaq-E-Hassan on three separate dates — March 22, April 26 and May 27, 2026. He then approached the concerned authority for registration of the divorce under the applicable law.

The petitioner argued that Talaq-E-Hassan was not prohibited and that the divorce had been pronounced according to its requirements.

The State, however, submitted that the earlier 1935 legislation had been repealed and the authority appointed under that law could no longer register the divorce.

Justice Choudhury observed that the Talaq-E-Hassan as pronounced by the petitioner is a valid form of Talaq and is not prohibited in the country as of today.

He, however, declined to direct the earlier Barpeta authority to register the Talaqnama because the 1935 law had been repealed and the post created under it had been abolished.

He directed the petitioner to approach the jurisdictional Marriage and Divorce Registrar under the 2024 Act.

The Registrar must examine whether the divorce was effected by the petitioner and verify his identity before deciding whether registration is required under Section 12 of the Act.

If registration is refused, the petitioner may pursue the remedy of appeal under Section 17 of the 2024 Act.

The Judge also observed that the wife, who was not present in court despite notices being served, remained free to challenge the Talaq-E-Hassan before an appropriate forum.

The court disposed of the writ petition.

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.