New Delhi, June 21: The government introduced the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) — popularly known as the Triple Talaq Bill — in the Lok Sabha on Friday.
The opposition benches led by the Congress rose to oppose the contentious penal provision in the bill. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi called the bill ‘discriminatory’ while the Congress said that the Bill ‘doesn’t empower’ women.
Congress MP from Kerala, Shashi Tharoor was the first from Congress to object to the provision of the BIll.
Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad however, rejected opposition arguments and said “It is the work of Parliament to enact a law. The interpretation of the law should be left to the courts.”
Earlier, on June 12, the Union Cabinet approved the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019, paving the way for the legislation to be introduced in the upcoming session of Parliament.
Doing away with Triple Talaq — where a Muslim woman can be divorced almost instantly has been one of the key poll promises of the Modi government. The Bill, once passed, would put a curb on the practice of talaq-e-biddat, or instant triple talaq. It proposes to make the offence cognizable.
To build consensus, the government had called a meeting of political party leaders on June 19, to discuss the agenda for the first session of the 17th Lok Sabha.
The opposition has not opposed the bill, however, it has is opposed to penal provisions. The Bill proposes a punishment of three years for a Muslim man practicing triple talaq and says the accused can get bail only from the magistrate before the trial starts, provided his wife concurs.
Opposition parties led by the Congress have objected to a jail term in the law and are also seeking state compensation for the deserted wife and her children. The proposed law directs the husband to provide maintenance for the wife and her children.
Prior to introducing the ordinances, the Prime Minister also introduced his council of ministers to the house.
