Triple Talaq Bill's Rajya Sabha test today
New Delhi, July 29: The Union Government will reportedly introduce the Triple Talaq Bill in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. On Thursday, the Lok Sabha passed the contentious Triple Talaq Bill after a noisy debate.
The Bill on Muslim Women (Protection on Rights of Marriage), also known as the Triple Talaq Bill, was passed by 303 ayes and 82 noes in Lok Sabha.
The bill, which criminalises instant divorce by Muslim men and seeks jail term for the guilty, was the first draft legislation tabled by the Narendra Modi government in this first session after it took oath of office for a second term in May.
There is already an ordinance in place which will lapse if the Bill does not get passed by both Houses and gets the President's assent within this session. The proposed legislation, which seeks to criminalise instant triple talaq among Muslims, has been controversial ever since its inception following a SC judgement in 2017.
[Triple Talaq bill: Main points of contention between Govt, opposition]
The Bill was tabled in the Lok Sabha last month amidst Opposition protests but was not taken up for discussion and passage. While the government had won a vote in the Lok Sabha on whether it could be tabled and, given its majority in the House, the Bill will sail through the Lower House - it was introduced following a vote, with 186 members supporting and 74 opposing it - but it is in the Rajya Sabha where things may get slightly complicated.
The Narendra Modi government is keen to get parliamentary approval for the triple talaq bill but there is no certainty that it will clear the Rajya Sabha hurdle.