NEW DELHI: The bill for criminalizing instant ‘Triple Talaq’ was passed on Thursday, December 27, 2018, by the Lok Sabha. While passing it, the central government also rejected the contention that it was intended to target any specific community.

But surprisingly, the opposition, which was previously favouring the bill to be passed, staged a walkout which involved Congress, AIADMK, and RJD. The opposition made a walkout as the government rejected its demand to refer the bill to a joint select committee.

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2018 had been passed by the Lower House. 245 were in favour while 11 opposed the legislation.

The passed bill will now go to the Rajya Sabha for the final approval. It will supersede the previous bill passed in the Lok Sabha and pending in the Rajya Sabha.

The now passed bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 17, to make the practice of triple talaq among Muslims a penal offense, and also to replace an ordinance issued previously in September.

After the bill was passed, law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that there should be no politics on the bill, and also that it wasn’t targeting any particular community.

He urged the lawmakers of various parties to speak in one voice to support the legislation. “Don’t weigh the bill on the scales of politics. The bill is about humanity and justice.”

He also regretted that obstructions were being created by the opposition parties, because of the ‘vote bank politics’.

Under the proposed law (after the bill will be approved in Rajya Sabha), giving instant triple talaq will be termed as illegal and void. And it will directly mean a jail term of three years for the husband.

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also said that the bill has made the offense compoundable, implying that the case can be withdrawn if the man and his estranged wife reach a compromise and that only the wife and her close relatives can file an FIR, thus ruling out the law’s misuse.

He also mentioned that as many as 477 cases of triple talaq have been reported since January 2017, and also highlighted a case where a man gave talaq to his wife on Whatsapp.

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