Modi government not Rajiv Gandhi's, says Ravi Shankar Prasad on triple talaq verdict

On the day Supreme Court quashed the instant triple talaq, which allows men to divorce their wives by saying talaq thrice, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said this was an indication of a new emerging India.

Speaking about the verdict, Prasad said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and his firm decision to back his Muslim sisters made this possible. We should also salute the muslim women, who showed the courage to fight against the practice.

The minister said that the Modi government "strongly stands" by the SC verdict, and will not buckle under pressure like Rajiv Gandhi's government in the past. It was a dig at the Congress, whose government under former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had used its big majority to bring a law that set aside a Supreme Court order granting alimony to Muslim women in the Shah Bano case in 1985.

Meanwhile, "Welcome the Supreme Court decision setting aside instant TripleTalaq. I congratulate the women who fought for justice," tweeted Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi's son.

Stating that the SC has held triple talaq as whimsical and unreasonable, Prasad said the verdict should be seen beyond the pale of communal divide since it is an issue of gender justice and equality.

He also ruled out the need for a new law, indicating that existing laws were sufficient. Asked if the government will come out with a new law, he said, "As of now, there is now need of introducing a new law. If the government sees the need in future, it will surely be done".

"When 22 nations, including Muslim nations like Pakistan and Bangladesh, can abolish the practice of triple talaq, then why can't India being a secular nation do so," he said discussing the top court's verdict.
To a question on stand taken by the Muslim Personal Law Board, Prasad said that he would urge them to "reconsider".

In what is being hailed as a landmark verdict, the Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down the long-prevalent practice of 'triple talaq' terming it unconstitutional and invalid.

OneIndia News