Triple talaq bill passed by Parl
New Delhi: Parliament on Tuesday approved the bill that makes instant triple talaq a criminal offence after the contentious legislation was passed by Rajya Sabha following non-aligned BJD extending support and NDA constituents JD-U and AIADMK walking out.
Lok Sabha had passed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill last week and with Rajya Sabha now approving it, the practise of instant divorce by Muslim men will be punishable by a jail term of up to three years.
The Upper House passed the bill by 99 votes in favour and 84 against it.
It earlier rejected an opposition sponsored motion to send the bill to a Rajya Sabha Select Committee with 100 votes against it as compared to 84 in favour.
While BJD supported the legislation, JD-U and AIADMK walked out, lowering the majority mark which normally stands at 121. The ruling NDA has 107 members in the 242-member Rajya Sabha. The NDA was also helped by the absence of some members of SP and BSP as well as those of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and YSR-Congress.
The same strategy had helped the government push through the contentious amendment to the Right To Information (RTI) Act last week despite lacking numbers in the Upper House.
Once granted assent by the President, the bill will replace an ordinance promulgated last on February 21 to the same effect as the bill.
Replying to a four-and-half-hour debate on the Bill, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the bill should not be seen through a political prism as it is a matter of humanity, woman empowerment and gender equality.
"More than 20 Islamic nations have regulated triple talaq," he said.
The Triple Talaq bill could not make it through the Upper House earlier this year during the first term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, although it was passed by Lok Sabha.
The opposition parties say in its current form, the proposed law could be misused to harass Muslims and wanted it to be reviewed by a parliamentary committee.
PM Narendra Modi Tuesday took to Twitter to celebrate the elimination of an "archaic and medieval practice" plaguing women belonging to the country's Muslim community.
