'Triple Talaq bill for women's dignity,' says Ravi Shankar; Oppn clashes again

New Delhi: Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday moved the a fresh bill on Triple Talaq in the Lok Sabha.

After introducing the Triple Talaq Bill 2019 in Lok Sabha, Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "Rights of Muslim women will be protected. People have chosen us to make laws. Hence, this law will give justice to the victims of Triple Talaq."

The Opposition, however, opposed the bill which created a ruckus in the House.

"This issue is not related to religion or prayer or class but of justice for women and for a woman’s dignity," said Ravi Shankar Prasad amid ruckus in the Lok Sabha over the triple talaq bill.

Soon after the minister tabled the bill, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, stood up to speak on the issue and listed the reasons for his opposition to the bill.

"Men from other religions also desert their wives. There is no procedural safeguards in the bill, refer it to a standing committee... it is a discriminatory bill," Tharoor said.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also opposed the bill calling it discriminatory. Owaisi asked, "If the husband is jailed (under the provisions of the law), who will pay maintenance to the woman?"

"The triple talaq bill violates constitutional rights as it stipulates three-year jail term for guilty Muslim men while non-Muslim men get only one year of jail term for a similar offence, AIMIM cheif added.

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) bill which made the practice of instant triple talaq (talaq-e-biddat) a penal offence, was opposed by the opposition parties which had claimed that jail term for the husband for divorcing his wife is legally untenable.

The Congress MP Sushmita Dev from Silchar alleged that Prime Minister Modi had created an atmosphere where Muslim women were being pitted against Muslim men through the triple talaq law. The opposition leader also said that the party would scrap the new triple talaq law if it was voted to power.

The Modi-led government introduced a fresh bill after the banning triple talaq was lapsed with the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha last month. The bill was also not passed by the Rajya Sabha.

Under the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Ordinance, 2019, divorcing through instant triple talaq is illegal, void and will attract a jail term of three years for the husband.