A/55/280 activity in the country. The law enforcement bodies are attempting to solve the incident in Tomsk and the inquiry has been placed under the direct control of the office of the Procurator-General of the Russian Federation. The Government states that the office took up 25 cases of incitement to national, racial or religious hatred in 1998 and 10 in 1999. Judgement has been passed in nine of those cases. India 68. India replied in the following terms to the allegation regarding the status of women (see document E/CN.4/2000/65, para. 46): Status laws applicable to the Muslim community would allow unilateral divorce for men, which would not be the case for women wishing to divorce (allegation) (a) Among Muslims, marriages are governed by the Mohammedan Law prevalent in the country. Under the Mohammedan law, a Muslim husband may divorce his wife by the mere pronouncement of the word talaq. However a Muslim wife has much more restricted right to dissolve her marriage. (b) However, by the Dissolution of Muslim Marriage Act, 1939 (8 of 1939), a Muslim wife is given the right to dissolve marriage on the following grounds: (i) if the whereabouts of her husband are not known for a period of four years; (ii) if the husband is not maintaining her for a period of two years; (iii) imprisonment of the husband for a period of seven years or more; (iv) failure on the part of the husband to perform his marital obligations, without a reasonable cause, for a period of three years; (v) impotency of the husband; (vi) the husband’s insanity for a period of two years; (vii) if the husband suffers from leprosy or virulent venereal disease; (viii) if the marriage took place before she attained the age of 15 years and was not consummated; and (ix) cruelty. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986 (25 of 1986) also provides protection to Muslim women in matters of divorce. (c) Certain unwritten customary laws also help to ameliorate the position of Muslim women 16 by permitting them to seek dissolution under the following forms: (i) Talaq-i-Tafwid. This is a form of delegated divorce. According to this, the husband delegates his right to divorce in a marriage contract which may stipulate that, inter alia, on his taking another wife, the first wife has the right to divorce him. (ii) Khula. This is a dissolution of agreement between the parties to marriage on the wife giving some consideration to the husband for the release from marriage ties. Terms are a matter for bargaining and usually take the form of the wife giving up her mehr or a portion of it. (iii) Muhurat. Divorce by mutual consent. (d) Regarding discriminatory provisions of divorce between men and women, it is the policy of the Government not to take any step regarding the personal laws of various communities until the initiative comes from the concerned community itself. Status laws applicable to the Christian community, such as the Indian Divorce Act, would allow divorce for men on grounds of adultery, whereas women wishing to divorce would have to prove spousal abuse and certain categories of adultery (allegation) The Government recently convened a meeting of leaders of various Churches, Members of Parliament, voluntary social organizations and others concerned to discuss the problem and the provisions of the draft Christian Marriage Bill, 2000, prepared by the Government. The Government is trying to bring in a comprehensive amendment to the personal laws of Christians relating to marriage and divorce in line with the changed socio-economic environment in the community. In spite of the Sati Prevention Act and the Dowry Prohibition Act, religious traditions of sati and dowry affecting women’s dignity and life do not appear to have been eradicated in some rural areas (allegation)