Muslim Women Bill scheduled to be tabled in Rajya Sabha today

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill is scheduled to be tabled in the Rajya Sabha today. It was passed by the Lok Sabha on Thursday amid a walkout by the Opposition.

The Bill makes all declarations of instant triple talaq void and illegal. It seeks to make the practice a punishable offence with imprisonment of up to three years.

Law and Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad will table the bill.   On Friday, Mr. Prasad had claimed the bill will find support in the Rajya Sabha, where the BJP-led NDA lacks numbers.

Both BJP and Congress have issued whips asking their members in the Upper House to be present. On the other hand, the main opposition Congress has said it will not allow passing of the bill in its present form.

The



Opposition has demanded that the bill be sent to a joint select panel for review before it is passed by the Parliament. The bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on Thursday with 245 voting in favour and 11 opposing it amid a walkout by the Congress, NCP and others.

During the prolonged debate, all parties unequivocally spoke about the evils of instant Triple Talaq. The opposition parties, however, protested against the provision to make instant Triple Talaq a criminal offence.

Declared illegal in about 20 Islamic countries, the instant talaq was declared against law in India by the order of the Supreme Court.  Government had last week informed the Lok Sabha that till now 430 incidents of triple talaq have come to the notice of the Government through the media.