Congress had a woman leader, yet it did not end barbaric triple talaq: Ravi Shankar Prasad

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NEW DELHI: In a veiled attack against Sonia Gandhi and Congress party, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday claimed that the party never tried to end the practice of triple talaq over vote bank politics.

"It's my serious charge with full sense of responsibility that a distinguished woman leader is ultimate leader of the Congress, yet barbaric inhuman Triple Talaq was not allowed to be ended by a Parliamentary law for pure vote bank politics," said the law minister hours after Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved an ordinance making triple talaq a punishable offence.

#WATCH: Law Minister RS Prasad says, "It's my serious charge with full sense of responsibility that a distinguished woman leader is ultimate leader of the Congress, yet barbaric inhuman Triple Talaq was not allowed to be ended by a Parliamentary law for pure vote bank politics" pic.twitter.com/R6m3hsiP6c — ANI (@ANI) September 19, 2018

The BJP leader further accused the Congress of blocking the triple talaq bill in the Rajya Sabha.

Elaborating on the Ordinance, Prasad said, “The core component of this Ordinance is that an offence will be cognizable only when the FIR is filed by the victim wife or her close relations by blood or marriage.”

“Secondly, it's compoundable, it can be compromised only at the insistence of the wife upon appropriate terms and conditions as determined by the magistrate.

“Thirdly, a bail can be granted by the magistrate upon reasonable grounds but only after hearing the victim wife also,” said the Law Minister.

In case of minor children, Prasad added, “The mother or the victim wife will get custody of the minor child and the mother is entitled to a maintenance suitably determined by the magistrate for herself and the child.”

Narendra Modi-led BJP government brought the triple talaq ordinance after failing to get the bill on the issue cleared by both the houses of Parliament.

The ordinance, to be brought by the Centre, will have similar provisions as The Muslim Women Protection of Rights in Marriage Act, which was cleared by the Lok Sabha with a voice vote last year. Triple talaq is the practice of instant divorce followed by Muslims.

In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court of India in August 2017 banned triple talaq with immediate effect calling it 'arbitrary' and 'unconstitutional'.