SC seeks response of Centre on PILs against polygamy, nikah halala

The Supreme Court today agreed to examine the constitutional validity of the prevalent practices of polygamy and 'nikah halala' among Muslims and sought responses from the Centre and the Law Commission.

Today, the bench, which also comprised Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, said a fresh five-judge constitution bench would be set up to deal with the constitutionality of 'nikah halala' and polygamy.

While polygamy allows a Muslim man to have four wives, 'nikah halala' deals with the process in which a Muslim woman has to marry another person and get divorced from him before being allowed to marry her divorcee husband again.

By a majority of 3:2, a five-judge constitution bench had earlier held triple talaq as unconstitutional in its judgement delivered last year.