Triple Talaq Bill Passed in Lok Sabha After Heated Debate With 303 Votes in Favour, 82 Against

New Delhi, July 25: A Bill to ban practice of triple talaq was passed by the Lok Sabha with thumping majority on Thursday. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019 was passed after 303 members voted in the favour of the bill, while 82 MPs voted against it. The passing of the bill was preceded by some intense and heated debate in the lower house of the Parliament. This is the third time that the Bill, popularly known as the Triple Talaq Bill, has been passed in the Lok Sabha.

The Bill will now be presented in the Rajya Sabha in order to become a law. The Narendra Modi government has said on various occasions that the passing of the Triple Talaq Bill is one of its top priorities. Triple Talaq Bill Introduced in Lok Sabha Amid Protest; From Ravi Shankar Prasad to Asaduddin Owaisi, Here's Who Said What.

The Speaker of the House, Om Birla, announced that the Parliament session has been extended till August 7.

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During the debate, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said during the debate that, "There have been 345 cases of triple talaq after the judgment till July 24. Should we leave these women on roads? I am a minister in Narendra Modi govt and not in Rajiv Gandhi govt."

AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi, opposing the bill, said, "You have said in the bill that the marriage of a couple would be legal even if a man gives triple talaq to his wife. You have proposed three years in jail for the man if he gives triple talaq to his wife. Who would give maintenance to the woman when her husband is in jail? Should she still wait for her husband to come out of jail?"

Replying to Owaisi's comments, BJP MP Poonam Mahajan said, "The bill is for those who have been given triple talaq over WhatsApp messages and phone calls. We have heard stories on Muslim women have been given triple talaq over salt in food and over her teeth," she said.

The JDU, TMC and Congress MPs had staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha in protest against the Triple Talaq Bill.

There was also an uproar in the Lok Sabha on Thursday after SP MP Azam Khan passed disrespectful comments on BJP MP Rama Devi, who was officiating the Chair. According to an ANI tweet, he was quoted saying, "Aap mujhe itni acchi lagti hain ki mera mann karta hai ki aap ki aankhon mein aankhein dale rahoon'. Which means, "I am so fond of you that I feel like staring at your eyes."

The ministers immediately asked him to apologise. However, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav stood to Azam Khan's defense when the MPs of the ruling party started shouting when Azam stood up to speak again.

Congress MP from Kishanganj, Mohammad Jawed also opposed the Triple Talaq Bill and said that the government should bring "laws for separated women of all communities" and not just Muslims. "The Bill which has been tabled is another way to jail Muslims... I oppose this Bill and request the minister to send this Bill to the standing committee for review and make laws for separated women of all communities, not just Muslims," Jawed said during the debate.

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad was persistent in his arguments and argued in favour of the bill saying, as many as 20 Islamic countries including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Indonesia had done away with Triple Talaq. Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "The Supreme Court has said that Triple Talaq is arbitrary and unconstitutional and asked Parliament to make a law. When we come up with a law, it is opposed. What should our Muslim women do in this situation? Should our Muslim sisters be left [in this situation]?"

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 25, 2019 06:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).