Source – edition.cnn.com

New Delhi (CNN)India’s Supreme Court decided Thursday to defer decision on the controversial Islamic divorce practice known as “triple talaq.”

The practice, that stretches back over a thousand years, allows a husband to divorce his wife by simply saying the Arabic word for divorce, talaq, three times.

India’s Supreme Court has convened a special summer session to hear the much-anticipated case — alongside others of constitutional importance — in May, when the court is normally in recess. It would otherwise take years to hear these cases, said the Chief Justice, according to local media.

A verdict could have come as early as Friday, but the Supreme Court announced Thursday it was reserving judgment in the contentious court case.

“In a case of this magnitude, they will take time to decide,” said Balaji Srinivasan, one of the lawyers on the petition representing a woman who was divorced via triple talaq.