Meerut: A Moradabad court sentenced a 40-year-old advocate to five years in jail for throwing acid on his wife and three years for pronouncing triple talaq after a dispute over the couple not having children. The verdict marked the first conviction in Moradabad district under the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019.
The court also imposed a total fine of Rs 36,000 and directed that half the amount be paid to the survivor. Additional district govt counsel Rajeev Kumar Kaushik said the woman, a resident of Pakbada police station area, had married Wajid around seven years before lodging an FIR at Bhojpur police station on July 7, 2021. In her complaint, the woman alleged that around 6am on July 4, 2021, Wajid assaulted her, threw acid on her and pronounced talaq three times before forcing her out of the house. Police filed a chargesheet against Wajid on Feb 5, 2022, under IPC sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 326B (throwing or attempting to throw acid), along with sections 3 and 4 of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019. Of the 13 witnesses listed in the chargesheet, six testified for the prosecution during the trial. The court sentenced him to six months for assault with a fine of Rs 1,000, five years for the acid attack with a fine of Rs 30,000, and three years under the triple talaq law with a fine of Rs 5,000.
Kaushik said Wajid had remained on interim bail during the trial. The sentences will run concurrently. She alleged that the couple had no children, Wajid wanted to remarry and her in-laws frequently taunted her over her inability to conceive. Police initially registered the FIR against Wajid and his family members, but their names were dropped during the investigation after police found no evidence of their involvement. The defence sought a lenient sentence on the ground that Wajid had no previous criminal history, while the prosecution sought the maximum punishment considering the nature of the offence. Following his conviction, he was taken into custody and sent to jail.
Additional district judge Anil Kumar on Saturday sentenced Wajid Hussain, a resident of Maksudpur village under Bhojpur police station limits, to five years’ imprisonment for the acid attack , three years for triple talaq and six months for assault.