The Union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday cleared an ordinance making the practice of instant triple talaq a penal offence,
The ‘Muslim Women Protection of Rights on Marriage Bill’ was cleared by the Lok Sabha and is pending in the Rajya Sabha
The Supreme Court last year in a 3-2 verdict found the practice un-Islamic and “arbitrary”, and disagreed that triple talaq was an integral part of religious practice.
But since the practice was still prevalent, a bill was brought to make it a penal offence.
The bill aims to ‘set aside’ the centuries-old practice of instant divorce or talaq-e-biddat by men.
It provides for three years imprisonment and a fine for divorcing a woman by uttering “talaq” three times in quick succession.
In August, the Cabinet approved inclusion of a provision to allow the magistrate to grant bail to men accused of giving instant triple talaq to their wives.
