Triple talaq bill clears Lok Sabha; Congress supports but says it has loopholes

The Triple Talaq Bill criminalising the practise of Talaq-e-Biddat was on Thursday passed by the Lok Sabha after an intense debate. The bill was tabled by the Narendra Modi-led NDA government in the parliament on Thursday morning.

The Triple Talaq Bill will now be sent to the Rajya Sabha for consideration and passage, where the NDA does not enjoy a majority. The Triple Talaq Bill was passed after voting in Lok Sabha. 

The bill was passed after the House rejected a string of amendments moved by various opposition members. MPs from the AIMIM, RJD, AIADMK, All India Muslim League and BJD opposed the bill, calling it arbitrary in nature and a faulty proposal.

Meanwhile, the Opposition Congress did not oppose the bill. However, senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge suggested the bill should be sent to standing committee as it has certain loopholes.

The Bill was tabled in the parliament by Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad who said it is about woman’s honour and not religion.

Also read: Also read: SC judgment on Triple Talaq: Petitioners, defenders, bench and arguments - all you need to know about controversial case

Earlier in the day, Prasad had said in parliament that the bill proposes to declare pronouncement of Talaq-e-Biddat (Triple Talaq) by Muslim husbands void and illegal in view of the Supreme Court verdict.

The bill also proposes that a victim of instant divorce can seek custody of her minor children and ask for maintenance from her husband by approaching a magistrate after registering a complaint with police.

Also read: SC declares instant triple talaq unconstitutional, illegal, void; says it is against basic tenets of Quran

Triple talaq in any form including spoken, in writing or by electronic means such as email, SMS or WhatsApp would be banned.

Narendra Modi-led Union Cabinet on December 15 had cleared the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017.

The NDA government prepared the draft law in the backdrop of the August 22 landmark verdict of the Supreme Court. The top court said in the ruling that the practice of Muslim men uttering "talaq" three times for an instant divorce is unconstitutional.

The draft Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill was prepared by an inter-ministerial group headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Other members part of the group were  External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and his junior in the ministry P P Chaudhary.