India's top court has ruled the practice of instant divorce in Islam unconstitutional, marking a major victory for women's rights activists.


In a 3-2 majority verdict India's Supreme Court also stayed the practice.

India is one of a handful of countries where a Muslim man can divorce his wife in minutes by saying the word talaq (divorce) three times.

The landmark  court decision came after it considered petitions challenging the so-called "triple talaq" custom.

The cases were filed by five Muslim women who had been divorced this way and two rights groups.