Talaq Climax for Chand-Fiza Drama

Barely three months after he was mooning over Anuradha Bali alias Fiza, former Haryana deputy chief minister Chander Mohan alias Chand Mohammad who converted into Islam to remarry called up his second wife from the UK on Saturday and said: “Talaq, talaq, talaq.”

43-year-old Congress MLA, Chand, whose political career has been eclipsed by the controversy also sent mobile SMSes to Fiza saying, “Through telephonic conversation, I have divorced you. Your mehr (compensation for divorce) as well as maintenance will reach you shortly.”

A fortnight after their marriage made national headlines and cost Chand his position in the Haryana cabinet, went ‘missing’ from the couple’s Mohali residence on January 28.

A stormy Fiza, however, refuses to accept the verdict saying Chand had not used valid procedures to pronounce divorce.

Media reports say Fiza had consulted Supreme Court lawyers and Muslim clerics who told her that divorce through telephone and SMSes was not acceptable. “It should come before a qazi (priest),” she said, adding that this was what the lawyers and clerics had told her.

Fiza, 37, a former assistant advocate general of Haryana accused Chand of threatening her with dire consequences over the phone.

“Wait and see what I and my family are going to do with you after the elections,” Fiza accused Chand of telling her.

She now plans to file a fresh criminal complaint against Chand. Her earlier complaint, accusing Chand of rape, cheating, hurting relig1ious sentiments, defamation and criminal intimidation, was rejected by the Mohali Police five days ago.

“Earlier, the police had rejected my complaint on the basis of Chand’s fax message that he still owns me as his wife and he remains a Muslim. But now that he has formally disowned me, I will press for action against Chand on similar charges,” she said.

Meanwhile radical Muslims are fuming over the blatant manner in which provisions of the Shariat law were used by Chand and Fiza to enter into a marriage that is now clearly proved to be nothing but a farce.