After being passed in the Lok Sabha by a large majority on Thursday, the Triple Talaq Bill is now likely to be exposed to scrutiny in the Rajya Sabha amid objections by the opposition
The Triple Talaq Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha with a large margin of 245 to 11 votes on Thursday. This came after the Centre released an official order to make the bill effective in law in September. The government argued that despite the Supreme Court declaring triple talaq as ‘unconstitutional’, cases continued to be reported.
A previous bill banning certain provisions of the legislation was cleared by the Lok Sabha a year ago, which was later halted by the Rajya Sabha amid objections from opposition parties. The revised bill, passed by the lower house, seeks to make the Muslim practice of instant divorce a punishable offence. Bhartiya Janta Party, expecting a similar outcome again due to lack of majority in the Rajya Sabha, hinted towards a joint session for both houses of the Indian Parliament for passing the bill.
Meanwhile, the opposition is said to have demanded a Joint Select Committee for the evaluation of the bill.
Proceedings held ahead of Rajya Sabha voting witnessed walkouts by major opposition parties like the Indian National Congress, Trinamool Congress, Rashtriya Janta Dal, National Congress Party, and the Bhartiya Janta Dal. Apart from this, further uncertainty arises as BJP allies like Janta Dal (U) back out from the voting process. JD (U) has 6 seats in the Rajya Sabha.
Post the passing of the bill on Thursday, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President, Asaduddin Owaisi protested against the criminalisation of triple talaq in the Lok Sabha. Referring to the recent decriminalisation of homosexuality, he asserted, “If sexual minorities have been given a choice in Section 377, then why are religious minorities not getting any choice?”
Union Law Minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad, on the other hand, affirmed that the Triple Talaq Bill must not be weighed on the “scales of politics”. He added that the bill “is about humanity and justice”.
