The Loksabha on Thursday passed a bill that tends to prohibit the instant triple talaq method of divorse in the Muslim community. The Supreme court of India had earlier called the practice of triple talaq illegal and unconstitutional, with the bill it will come under the category of criminality having a provision of 3years of jail term for the offender.
Law and Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad introduced The Muslim Women (Protection of Marriage) Bill 2017 at 12.45 in the noon that was followed by an intense debate for about 7 hours in the house before it was passed in the evening with a voice vote.
Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad hailed the event and said history is being created today.He said“Women are seeing that justice will be done to them. Let us speak in one voice that we are for gender justice and gender equity and pass the Bill unanimously,”
Along with the ruling NDA Congress supported the bill but with some reservations. Mallikarjun Khadge, the leader of Congress Party in the Lok Sabha opined the bill to be sent to the Sanding Committee for detailed discussions but the house did not agree with it.
The Congress Party also sought revision on th provision of jail term in the legislation.
The House also negated all three amendment calls in the Bill by AIMIM member Asadudin Owasi and other from the opposition.
RJD, TMC , BJD AIMIM and AIADMK opposed the bill however in the voting TMC, BJD and AIADMK opted not to take part.
Owasi opposed the bill the most. He claimed, “this law is being brought with an intention to send more Muslim to jail” as he pointed that the government had not done anything to stop the practices of dowry and child marriage inspite of there being Acts against Dowry and child marriage.
Talaq-e- biddat or Triple Talaq is a provision in the Muslim Sariah law regarding divorce which authorises the husband that he can break his marriage contract with his wife by pronouncing the word “talaq” thrice in succession. Muslim clerics in India count several positives of the system but on practice there are numerous cases where the Muslim man misuse the power whimsically against their wives to abandon them.
Some Muslim women victims of the practice waged a fight against the practice and moved to the Supreme Court to ban the practice. A five member bench of the apex Court comprising Chief Justice JS Khehar, Justices Kurian Joseph, Rohinton Fali Nariman, Uday Umesh Lalit and Abdul Nazeer began hearing the petitions in May.
The Court in its decision on August 22 banned the practice of instant triple talaq terming it unconstitutional and against the principle of Islam.
The decision encouraged the government to make an Act to abolish the practice of Triple Talaq.
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