Cabinet gives go-ahead for fresh triple talaq ordinance

New Delhi: With the Lok Sabha polls just weeks away, the NDA government on Tuesday re-issued the Triple Talaq ordinance, which makes the practise of instant triple talaq by Muslim men a penal offence.

The Union Cabinet cleared the decision of re-issuing the ordinance during its meeting held on Tuesday evening.

The legislation, which the Centre has been promoting as a saviour for millions of Muslim women who constantly face the threat of instant triple talaq, is considered as one of the major policy decisions of the Narendra Modi-led dispensation.

The re-issuing of the ordinance gains significance as the BJP-led

NDA government aims to highlight it as one of its important policy decisions during the election campaign.

While the Triple Talaq Bill was passed by Lok Sabha on December 27, 2018, during the recently concluded Winter session, it could not be cleared by Rajya Sabha and during the intervening period, the 16th Lok Sabha was declared sine die on February 13.

“The Cabinet has given its nod to the triple talaq ordinance,” finance minister Arun Jaitley said while interacting with media persons in a press conference held after the Cabinet meeting.

Once signed by President Ram Nath Kovind, the triple talaq ordinance will come into force for the third time in less than a year.

However, an ordinance was re-promulgated in January this year as the revised Bill to make instant “triple talaq” — a practice among Muslim men to instantly divorce their wives by uttering “talaq” or divorce thrice — a punishable offence could not be passed in the Rajya Sabha where the government lacks majority. The Bill is set to lapse on June 3 when the term of the present Lok Sabha ends, as it could not be passed in Rajya Sabha, which adjourned indefinitely on February 13.

The Cabinet also approved promulgating an ordinance for companies law amendments to plug gaps in corporate governance and enforcement framework as well as improve the ease of doing business.

A Bill to replace the Companies (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018, that was promulgated in November could not be passed during the last session of the current Parliament.

Hence, the government has decided to promulgate the Companies (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2019. “The amendments have been brought in to address the need to imp-ose civil liability for technical and procedural defa-ults of a minor nature,” official sources said.

Further, the changes have been made to plug gaps in the corporate governance and enforcement framework covering a wide range of issues.