The Union Cabinet on Friday cleared a Bill to end the practice of triple talaq. Briefing reporters after the meeting of the Cabinet, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the law will ensure equality and justice for Muslim women in the country.
Prasad, however, did not divulge the details of the Bill as Parliament is in session. There are indications that the Bill will be tabled in Parliament during the ongoing Winter Session. “We approved The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, which is to protect victims of Triple Talaq,” Prasad said.
According to government sources, the Bill has a penal provision against triple talaq that include a three-year jail term for the husband. The punishment also involves a fine which would be decided by the magistrate hearing the case.
The Centre had prepared a draft law recently and circulated it to the State governments for their opinion. An inter-ministerial group headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh prepared the draft. The Bill, if passed, will be applicable only if an instant triple talaq or ‘talaq-e-biddat’ is announced by the husband. The Bill nullifies the present Act passed in 1986 and empowers the victim to approach a magistrate seeking “subsistence allowance” for herself and minor children.
Triple talaq of all forms, such as spoken, in writing or by electronic means such as email, SMS and WhatsApp, will be considered an offence.