New Delhi, July 25, 2019: The Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament, on July 25 passed the contentious bill that would criminalize instant triple talaq.

The bill was passed after a day-long heated battle that also witnessed a walkout by Janata Dal United, an ally of the National Democratic Alliance that heads the federal government.

The JDU said such a law would create a “lack of trust in society.” Two other opposition parties – the Congress and the Trinamool Congress – walked out after the vote. The bill was passed by a division of 302 votes in favor and 78 against.

The bill now faces the Rajya Sabha test. Those who had supported the government in the Rajya Sabha over amendments to the landmark Right to Information Act have said they oppose the bill on Triple Talaq.

Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal and Andhra Pradesh’s ruling YSR Congress earlier declared that they would object to the bill in the Rajya Sabha.

The new law provides for a jail term for Muslim men who can get an instant divorce by uttering “Talaq” thrice, which the opposition says is unacceptable and want the bill referred to a select parliamentary committee for further scrutiny.

The government contends that the bill is vital for promoting gender equity. Federal ministers have gone public saying it is tied to the Prime Minister’s new motto of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas” (With everyone for the development for all with the trust of everyone).

Introducing the bill, federal Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said it was about gender justice. “Twenty Muslim countries in the world, including Pakistan and Malaysia, have banned the triple talaq. Why can’t a secular India do it?” he asked. “What is the problem with criminalizing the practice? No one objects when Hindus and Muslims are jailed under dowry law or Domestic Violence Act,” he pointed out.

The practice of triple talaq had continued despite the Supreme Court calling it illegal and unconstitutional two years ago. Several hundred cases have been reported since, the minister added.

The opposition parties have repeatedly questioned the government’s motive in rushing the bill. K Suresh, the Chief Whip of Congress in Lok Sabha, alleged that the government had kept the bill’s introduction “a secret.”

“Yesterday night they put in Triple Talaq Bill in today’s agenda and postponed National Medical Commission Bill and DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill without knowledge of opposition. Why are they keeping it secret and putting in agenda at night?” he asked.

The government said the opposition was politicizing the issue. “Don’t look at this issue through political lenses. This is an issue of justice and humanity… an issue of women rights and empowerment… we can’t abandon our Muslim sisters,” Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

On July 24, the opposition, at a meeting chaired by Congress’s Sonia Gandhi, decided to hold a planned boycott of the ongoing parliament session over the government’s refusal to send some controversial bills for further scrutiny. The list is headed by the Triple Talaq bill.

Source: ndtv.com