The Triple Talaq bill will now have to be approved by President Ram Nath Kovind, after which it will likely replace the triple talaq ordinance.
The triple talaq Bill, which makes instant triple talaq a criminal offence, has been passed by the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, 30 July 2019.
The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019 was passed with 99 to 84 votes in the Rajya Sabha, making this a massive victory for PM Modi-led NDA government.
While non-aligned Biju Janata Dal (BJD) extended support to NDA constituents, AIADMK and JD(U) staged a walk-out ahead of the voting process.
The Triple Talaq bill will now go to President Ram Nath Kovind for his approval, after which it will replace the triple talaq ordinance promulgated last February.
After the Bill was passed in Rajya Sabha, PM Modi, in a series of tweet, said, “An archaic and medieval practice has finally been confined to the dustbin of history! Parliament abolishes Triple Talaq and corrects a historical wrong done to Muslim women. This is a victory of gender justice and will further equality in society. India rejoices today!”
Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who introduced the Triple Talaq bill in Rajya Sabha, said, “This is a matter of gender justice, dignity and equality.”
The Supreme Court, on August 2017, had declared the practice of instant triple talaq unconstitutional and pronounced that a divorce by uttering talaq three times in one sitting is void and illegal.
Bill has been a bone of contention between the Narendra Modi government and the Opposition since December 2017, when the government first tabled the legislation in the Lok Sabha. The bill followed a Supreme Court judgment in August that year.
The Supreme Court had declared the practice of instant triple talaq unconstitutional and a divorce pronounced by uttering talaq three times in one sitting void and illegal.
Bill of the previous Narendra Modi government lapsed with the dissolution of the Lok Sabha upon completion of its tenure. The Rajya Sabha had not approved the bill back then.
PM Modi further tweeted that, “I thank all parties and MPs who have supported the passage of The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019 in both Houses of Parliament. They have risen to the occasion and this step of theirs will forever be remembered in India’s history.”
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