Triple talaq legislation: Union ministers hold discussions

A group of Union ministers today closeted for an hour to discuss about a legislation to put an end to instantaneous ‘triple talaq’, a Muslim way of divorce, which is said to be still in practice despite the Supreme Court striking it down.

The Centre is planning to bring the legislation in the winter session of Parliament, which is likely to begin from December 15.

No decision taken

Chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, the meeting discussed various issues related to the proposed bill, which is expected to ensure that the instantaneous way of divorce become a punishable offence, a government official said.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot, Minister for Minorities Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Attorney General K K Venugopal besides others attended the meeting.

No decision was taken in today’s meeting and further deliberations will take place in coming days, the official said.

The ministers also discussed whether a new legislation should be brought or the existing penal provisions be suitably amended to make the instantaneous triple talaq an offence, the government official said.

Helpless victims

According to the law, a victim of ‘talaq–e–biddat’ or instant triple talaq would have no option, but to approach the police for redressal of her grievances, as a Muslim clergy would be of no assistance to her.

“Even police are helpless as no action can be taken against the husband in the absence of punitive provisions in the law,” another official explained.

“The NDA ministers have been tasked to frame a new law or an amendment bill,” he said.

In August, the Supreme Court had struck down the controversial Islamic practice of instant divorce or ‘talaq–e–biddat’ as arbitrary and unconstitutional.

But there have been reports of a number of divorces by way of ‘talaq–e–biddat’ even after the judgement. This could be because of lack of awareness and absence of deterrent punishment, the official said.

Despite advisories issued to members of the community against the archaic practice, there seems to be no decline in the cases of divorce by ‘talaq–e–biddat’, he said.

Soon after the SC judgement, the government said that a law on triple talaq might not be necessary as the order was now the law of the land. They had felt that the provisions of the Indian Penal Code were sufficient to deal with such cases, the official added.