Lok Sabha passes Bill criminalising instant triple talaq
The bill, meanwhile, seeks to replace the ordinance passed by the previous government in February and Mr. Prasad speaking in the House said: ``Twenty Muslim countries in the world, including Pakistan and Malaysia, have banned the triple talaq. Why can’t a secular India do it?”
The Opposition parties demanded that the bill be referred to a select parliamentary committee for discussion and debate.
Questioning the government’s motive in rushing through with the Bill K. Suresh of Congress said that the criminality clause may be misused by police and government. He also alleged that the government had kept the bill’s introduction “a secret”.
The Minister responded to this stating that the government had included certain safeguards such as provision of bail for the accused before trial.
`While the bill makes triple talaq a “non-bailable” offence, an accused can approach a magistrate even before trial to seek bail. A provision has been added to allow the magistrate to grant bail “after hearing the wife”,’’ the Minister said.
The Opposition also noted the Bill is ‘discriminatory’ as it sought to target only Muslim women even when the problem of abandoning-wives was not unique to the community. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said that the crime is the desertion of wife without taking responsibilty. “Why is a law criminalising Muslim husbands?” The Supreme Court has already criminalized Triple Talaq so there is no need for this Bill. N.K. Premachandran (RSP, Kerala) added that the government is taking a minority judgement and considering turning the same into a law.