Modi 2.0's first Triple Talaq bill to be tabled on Fri

The contentious Triple Talaq Bill will be the first bill to be introduced by the Narendra Modi government in the 17th Lok Sabha.

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad will introduce The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2019 on Friday aimed at protecting the rights of married Muslim women and to prohibit divorce by pronouncing talaq by their husbands, according to the List of Business for the day.

The new Bill will replace the second ordinance on criminalising triple talaq issued in February last year.

The move came hours after President Ram Nath Kovind in his address to the joint address to Parliament underlined the NDA's resolve to remove "social evils" of instant triple talaq and 'nikah halala'.

The BJP had pitched the bill as ensuring equality of Muslim women and sought to depict the opponents as those who were supporting the conservative sections of Muslims. However, the Opposition accused the BJP of playing to the tunes of its core base.

The government is confident of passing the Bill in Lok Sabha owing to its overwhelming majority while it is to be seen what strategy it would adopt to get it passed in Rajya Sabha where it does not enjoy a majority.

In the cabinet meeting on June 12, the government had cleared the triple talaq bill assuring that it would address the concerns of the opposition, which was opposed to jailing the husband who pronounces the instant divorce.

The Opposition is of the view that jail term for the husband for divorcing his wife was legally untenable and had stalled its passage in Rajya Sabha demanding that the Bill be sent to a Select Committee for further Parliamentary scrutiny.

Earlier, the Modi government had introduced some amendments while retaining the penal provisions. One of the changes made was allowing withdrawal of case if the man and his estranged wife reach a compromise. It also ensured that only the wife and her close relatives can file an FIR.

However, this had not satisfied the Opposition as the penal provisions remained and they continued their opposition.