HYDERABAD: A day after the Union Cabinet cleared draft bill which makes talaq-e-biddat (triple talaq) a cognisable and non-bailable offence punishable with three years of jail and a monetary fine, vigilant Muslim women from Telangana expressed concern on its repercussions.Child Protection Officer from Karimnagar Durdana Parveen said if marriage and divorce is brought in the purview of crime, the families of the litigating parents will be the worst sufferers.
She went on to argue that even though the practice of pronouncing triple talaq at one go is wrong and against Islamic, if the role of clergy in the process of divorce of Muslims no more exists, it will only lead to more tension in the religious community. Some women said they are concerned that the standard practice of Talaq-e -sunnat — where the talaq involves a waiting period of three lunar months between the first talaq and the confirmation of divorce — will also be banned next if the law criminalising talaq e biddat is criminalised.
Parveen Sultana, a Hyderabad-based psychologist said, “I welcome the cabinet’s decision as the practice of instant triple talaq is in bad taste and has an adverse impact on the life of a woman at the receiving end. But talaq-e-sunnat creates the possibility of a reconciliation between the husband and wife and I wish that its legality does not come under question.”
Meanwhile, Jamila Nishat, a womens’ rights activists called the cabinet’s decision unexpected and said she wished the law would have been about introducing a mandatory clause for reconciliation or divorce with the consent of both litigating husband and wife instead. In a landmark judgment on August 22, Supreme Court had barred the controversial practice of instant triple talaq, asking the Centre to bring a legislation.