Triple talaq Bill passed by Lok Sabha, awaits acid test in Rajya Sabha
New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the triple talaq Bill which criminalises the practice of instant triple talaq, with the government rejecting a vociferious demand by the Opposition that the legislation be referred to a joint parliamentary select committee. Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad emphasised that the Bill was not against any particular community, and therefore it should not be politicised.
As the Opposition members led by the Congress walked out of the Lower House after government rejected their demand of sending the Bill to the committee, the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018 was passed after voting was effected. Finally, it was passed with 245 votes in favour while 11 opposed it. There were no abstentions.
With the Bill having passed muster in the Lower House due to the dominant strength of the treasury benches, it could face a tough road ahead as the legislation also has to be cleared by the Rajya Sabha, where the numbers are not in favour of the ruling BJP.
Piloting the Bill, law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said there should be no politics over the bill, stressing that it was not against any particular community. “Don’t weigh the bill on the scales of politics. The bill is about humanity and justice,” he said.
Congress leader Malli-karjun Kharge said the bill was against the spirit of the Constitution and was in violation of several articles dealing with the rights of individuals.
The fresh Bill will supersede an earlier one passed in the Lok Sabha and still pending in the Rajya Sabha. It was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 17 to replace an ordinance issued in September.
Under the proposed law, giving instant triple talaq will be illegal and void, and will attract jail of three years for the man.
Mr Prasad said the Bill made the offence compoundable, meaning that the case can be withdrawn if the man and his estranged wife reach a compromise, and that only the wife and her close relatives can file an FIR, ruling out any possible misuse of the law. He said 477 cases of triple talaq had been reported since January 2017 and cited a case where a professor gave talaq to his wife over WhatsApp.
