Parliament winter session: Fresh bill introduced in Lok Sabha to make triple talaq penal offence
Under the proposed law, giving instant triple talaq will be illegal and void and will attract a jail term of three years for the husband.
Published: 17th December 2018 01:08 PM | Last Updated: 18th December 2018 05:40 AM | A+A A-
A view of the Lok Sabha. (File | PTI)
NEW DELHI: The government on Monday introduced in the Lok Sabha an amended version of “The Muslim Women (Protection of rights on marriage) Bill”, under which the practice of instant talaq would be a cognisable offence if the affected woman or her blood relations file a complaint.
The Lok Sabha also passed “The transgender persons (protection of rights), Bill, which seeks to define transgender persons and prohibits discrimination against them.
Din ruled the proceedings of the Lok Sabha, as Opposition members persisted with their demands for the constitution of a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe allegations of impropriety in the Rafale deal. The AIADMK MPs stayed in the well of the House to protest against the construction of a dam on the Cauvery river.
Amid the din, Union Minister for Law and Justice, Ravi Shankar Prasad, reintroduced the amended Bill against instant talaq practised in the minority community.
The minister referred to apprehensions in and outside Parliament regarding provisions of the pending Bill, which enables any person to give information to an officer in-charge of a police station to take cognizance of the offence and makes the offence non-bailable.
“In order to address the concerns, it has been decided to make the offence cognizable if the information relating to the commission of an offence is given to an officer in-charge of a police station by a married Mulsim woman upon whom talaq is pronounced, or any person related to her by blood or marriage,” said Prasad, while introducing the legislation, which would replace the Ordinance brought by the government previously.
The minister added that it was also decided to make the offence non-bailable and compoundable at the instance of the married Muslim woman with the permission of the magistrate, on such terms and conditions as he may determine.Later in the day, the Lok Sabha passed the Bill to protect the rights of transgender persons.
