Activists of Joint Movement Committee protest on the issue of triple talaq at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI/File)
New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) The Lok Sabha on Thursday agreed to take up for discussion the triple talaq bill on December 27 after the Congress agreed to participate in the debate.
As the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage)Bill, 2018, was taken up for consideration, Leader of the Congress in the House, Mallikarjun Kharge, suggested it betaken up for discussion next week.
Parlimentary Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar soughtan assurance from the Opposition that it would allowdiscussion on the bill without disruption on that day.
"I request you to take the bill on December 27. We areall going to participate. Our party and other politicalparties are ready to discuss (the bill)," Kharge said.
To this, Law Minister Mani Shankar Prasad said, "AsKharje ji has made an open promise, we have no problems inhaving a discussion on December 27. I urge that this debatebe held in a sanguine and peaceful manner."
The House has been witnessing disruptions over a range ofissues, including protests by the Congress which is demandinga joint parliamentary committee probe on the Rafale deal.
The fresh Bill to make the practice of triple talaq amongMuslims a penal offence was introduced in the Lok Sabha onMonday to replace an ordinance issued in September.
Under the proposed law, giving instant triple talaq willbe illegal and void and will attract a jail term of threeyears for the husband.
The fresh bill will supercede an earlier bill passed inthe Lok Sabha and pending in the Rajya Sabha.
The earlier bill was approved by the lower house.
But amid opposition by some parties in the upper house,the government had then cleared some amendments, includingintroduction of a provision of bail, to make it moreacceptable.
But as the bill continued to face resistance in the RajyaSabha, the government issued an ordinance in September,incorporating amendments.
An ordinance has a life of six months. But from the day asession begins, it has to be replaced by a bill which shouldbe passed by Parliament within 42 days (six weeks), else itlapses.
The government is at liberty to re-promulgate theordinance if the bill fails to get through Parliament.
Introducing the bill, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasadsaid despite the Supreme Court striking down the practice oftalaq-e-biddat (instant triple talaq), terming itunconstitutional, divorces in this form were taking place.
Citing details of instant triple talaq cases, thegovernment had last week informed the Lok Sabha that till now430 incidents of triple talaq have come to the notice of thegovernment through the media.
Of these, 229 were reported before the Supreme Courtjudgement, while another 201 came to the notice after it.
These cases were reported between the period of January2017 and September 13, 2018.
