Ahead of Parliament tabling Triple Talaq bill, AIMPLB holds emergency meeting

LUCKNOW: Ahead of tabling the Triple Talaq bill in the winter session of Parliament, All India Muslim Personal Law Board or AIMPLB held an emergency meeting in Lucknow on Sunday. The meeting was attended by All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen or AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi. 

The new bill, know as The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2017, will make triple talaq a punishable offence. Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad will table the bill in Parliament next week.

The draft bill has a provision of imprisonment for Triple Talaq up to three years and along with a fine. The draft bill also envisages entitling divorcee Muslim women for maintenance and to have the custody of their minor children.

According to the draft bill, "any pronouncement of talaq by a person upon his wife, by words, either spoken or written or in electronic form or in any other manner whatsoever, shall be void and illegal". 
"Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, a married Muslim woman shall be entitled to custody of her minor children in the event of pronouncement of talaq by her husband, in such manner as may be determined by the Magistrate," the draft bill further adds.

Earlier speaking to media, Owaisi said, "Both national parties...deliberately avoided talking about Muslim empowerment and Muslim representation, and the proof is that BJP did not give a single ticket to a Muslim. Congress gave six tickets and only three are now elected."

"They might win elections like this but our democracy will lose," he added.

In a landmark judgement in August 2017, the Supreme Court banned triple talaq with immediate effect. Three out of five judges hearing the case have declared triple talaq as 'arbitary' and 'unconstitutional' and further asked the Parliament to bring in a new law to govern the issue. 

On December 15, the Narendra Modi Cabinet on December 15 approved the bill that makes instant triple talaq illegal.

With agency inputs