A Panchagarh court has issued an arrest warrant against nine people involved in imposing a “fatwa of halala marriage” that led to a middle-aged couple suffering in isolation for about four months after they disagreed to obey it.   

Judicial Magistrate M M Mahbub Islam passed the order on Sunday following a police investigation report, reports our Thakurgaon correspondent quoting Court Inspector Anisur Rahman.

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Jamal Hossain, officer-in-charge of Debiganj Police Station, and also the investigation officer of the case, said he is yet to receive the written copy of the arrest warrant. 

Earlier on August 11, in a suo moto rule, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Matiur Rahman asked OC Jamal Hossain to submit an investigation report to the court by August 22 after investigating the allegation of a middle-aged couple suffering isolation for about four months as they disagreed to obey a “halala marriage” fatwa imposed by local influential people.  

On the court’s order, the OC investigated the incident and submitted the report before the court accusing Md Shahjahan, Mufti Md Anwar Hossain, Md Nasir Uddin, Md Amir Chan, Md Shaheed, Md Sorman Ali, Md Julhaque, Md Mastafa and Md Rasel.

Aynal Haque (52) and his wife Jamiran (42) had been suffering isolation for almost four months at Chalimpur village under Debiganj in Panchagarh, after a local Islamic leader cited a fatwa in a village meeting that Jamiran must marry another man, get a divorce from that man, and then remarry Aynal.

She must follow the fatwa as her husband Aynal uttered the word talaq three times in a row during an argument on April 18 this year. 

As the couple didn’t obey the order, the accused ordered everyone in the neighbourhood to isolate them and not talk to them.