On Tuesday, Kapil Sibal, appearing for All India Muslim Personal Law Board, argued before the Supreme Court that Triple Talaq was a 1,400-year old practice in Islam, and it was a matter of faith, just like the birthplace of Lord Ram in Ayodhya is a matter of faith for the Hindus. This reminds one of the infamous Sati practice among Hindus, in which the widow of a deceased male was forced to sit on her husband’s funeral pyre and die. Sati practice among Hindus was several centuries old, but it had to be abolished as it amounted to inhuman killing. Any religious or cultural practice, howsoever old it may be, has to be abolished if a society is to progress towards enlightenment. The practice of untouchability among Hindus was several centuries old, and it had to be outlawed, though the practice still prevails in some parts of India. Similarly, the ban on entry of untouchables into Hindu temples had to be lifted, after many social reformers launched movements and the people at large were persuaded to abandon such practices. So, to argue that the practice of instant divorce, as in Triple Talaq, is a 1,400-year old one, and is a matter of faith, does not hold water. If a religious or cultural practice is wrong and inhuman, it has to be stopped, either through courts, or through enactment of law.