Govt likely to table bill on triple talaq in Parliament on Dec 22, asks all its MPs to be present

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NEW Delhi: The Narendra Modi-led government is likely to introduce a bill on controversial triple talaq in the Lok Sabha on December 22, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar announced on Thursday.

The "List of Business" posted on the Lok Sabha website showed that The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights of Marriage) Bill will be introduced by Law Minister Ravishankar Prasad.

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2017 criminalises instant triple talaq, or talaq-e-biddat, and imposes a prison term of up to three years on husbands who violate the law, according to reports.

It also makes a provision for alimony for the woman on whom instant triple talaq has been pronounced and grants her the custody of her children.

Meanwhile, as per a report, the BJP has issued a whip to all its MPs to attend the Parliament session while the government presents the 'controversial' bill.

In a historic judgment on August 22, a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court struck down instant triple talaq as illegal.

The woman can also seek the custody of her minor children from the magistrate who will take a final call on the issue.

Under the draft law, instant triple talaq in any form -- spoken, in writing or by electronic means such as email, SMS and WhatsApp -- would be bad or illegal and void.

Following the Supreme Court's order pronouncing the 'triple taalq' as invalid, Muslim groups have been up in arms against it with the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind saying that regardless of what the legal position is, instantaneous triple talaq would continue to happen in Muslim society.

AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi too described the proposed Bill as "draconian".

He said it would lead to further exploitation and more injustice to married Muslim women and that it is being done by the government only for "political considerations".

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Ministry of Law and Justice informed the Lok Sabha that no Muslim groups were consulted before framing a law on triple talaq. 

Law Minister Ravi Shankar said the government believed that the proposed bill would help ensure gender justice, gender equality and dignity of women.

The government has maintained that since the practice of instant triple talaq or 'talaq-e-biddat' continues despite the Supreme Court striking it down, there is a need to bring a law.

To a written question on whether the government consulted Muslim organisatons before framing the draft law, Minster of State for Law P P Chaudhary replied in the negative.

In a separate written reply, Prasad said, "The government is of the view that the issue arises from the humanitarian concept of gender justice, gender equality and dignity of women and not arising from faith and religion."

He said that since the Supreme Court struck down the practice of instant triple talaq, nearly 66 cases of husbands divorcing their spouses through this method were reported.

Earlier, Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi had said the government had sought suggestions from various people before framing the law.

(With Agency inputs)