Rajya Sabha passes RTI amendment bill, Congress stages walkout

New Delhi: After a prolonged debate, Lok Sabha Thursday passed the contentious Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2019, commonly known as the Triple Talaq Bill with a majority of 303 votes. After members of Parliament raised questions primarily on the criminalisation of the bill, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “If we provide a provision of bail under the law, the husband can go scot-free when he says he hasn’t given triple talaq.” He further said the law is not about religion or garnering votes, it is for women empowerment. This is the first time that the bill was tabled in the 17th Lok Sabha by the BJP government after coming back to power.
The triple talaq bill was tabled in the Lok Sabha by Prasad Thursday. A heated debate took place between the Centre and the Opposition over the contentious bill. Calling the bill as “anti-Islam”, AIMIM Asaduddin Owaisi said introducing a law will not eradicate a social evil.
The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2019, which aims to criminalise instant triple talaq, was introduced by Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, last month. Prasad had introduced a fresh bill in this regard to ban instant triple talaq in the Lok Sabha, saying it would help protect the rights of Muslim women. The bill seeks to replace the ordinance passed by the previous government in February after a similar bill could not be passed in the Rajya Sabha.