Triple Talaq Banned by 20 Islamic Countries, Why Can't 'Secular' India do it, Says Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

New Delhi, December 27: Triple Talaq Bill ensures the right of women and justice, said Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad after tabling the Bill in the Parliament. While addressing the house, Prasad said, "This bill is not against any community, religion or belief. This bill is for the rights of women and about justice."

The fresh Triple Talaq Bill intends to make the practice of instant Triple Talaq among Muslims an offence under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) with the provision of three-year jail for the husband. The Bill, earlier introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 17, will replace the ordinance issued by the Central government in September this year, banning the instant triple talaq. Triple Talaq Bill: Heated Debate in Lok Sabha; Opposition Demands Bill be Sent to Select Committee, Govt Hits Back.

The Bill was taken up in the Parliament in August last year after a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court termed unconstitutional the law that allowed Muslim men to divorce their wives simply by uttering "talaq" three times in quick succession. Prasad further advocated the Triple Talaq Bill, by highlighting that 20 Islamic states have banned it.

"20 Islamic nations have banned Triple Talaq, then why can't a secular nation like India? I request that this should not be looked through the prism of politics," he said in the Lok-Sabha.

Treading a similar path BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi questioned politicos opposing the Bill, saying "those against the Triple Talaq Bill here that in which suraa of the holy Quran is talaq-e-biddat mentioned? This is not he versus she, these are issues of human rights violation."

Meanwhile, the Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) demanded that the Bill be sent to Joint Select Committee for thorough study. "This is a very important bill which needs detailed study. It is also a constitutional matter. I request the bill be sent to joint select committee" said Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha. "We also request the Triple Talaq Bill be sent to joint select committee, all opposition is of the same opinion," Sudip Bandyopadhyay of TMC said.