Triple Talaq Bill in Rajya Sabha LIVE Updates: House adjourned till 2:30 pm as opposition seeks JPC probe into Rafale dealTriple Talaq Bill in Rajya Sabha LIVE Updates: The Modi government today deferred the introduction of the Triple Talaq Bill in the Rajya Sabha till the next Parliament session due to continuous uproar by the Congress-led opposition parties over alleged scam in the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France. According to tv reports, the opposition parties sought more time to read the amendments that were introduced yesterday. As the House met at 2:30 pm, Chairman Venkaiah Naidu himself announced that “Triple Talaq Bill will not be taken up today because no consensus could be built around it”. Today is also the last day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. Meanwhile, according to reports, the government is mulling to introduce an ordinance or an emergency executive order to enact the law that has been pending in the Rajya Sabha since December last year.
Highlights
The Triple Talaq Bill that seeks to criminalise the practice of instant divorce by Muslim men has been deferred to the next Parliament as opposition parties created ruckus in the Rajya Sabha over their demand for a JPC probe into alleged scam in the purchase of Rafale fighter jets from France.
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Anti-triple talaq crusader Nida Khan, 24, has announced that she will join the BJP soon and will continue her fight demanding justice for Muslim women. Khan who herself is a victim of triple talaq, runs an NGO who have been given instant triple talaq.
MoS for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel said that the opposition was creating din in the House as they did not want the Triple Talaq Bill to be taken up for passage.
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Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said that the Rafale deal was a "big scam" and there should be a JPC probe into it. Congress Deputy leader Anand Sharma said whenever such issues have been released earlier during previous Congress rules, a JPC probe was ordered and reiterated his party's demand.
The Rajya Sabha will meet at 2:30 pm again. The House couldn't transact any business since the morning because of the opposition's uproar over alleged scam in the Rafale deal.
Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has termed the Triple Talaq Bill as social justice legislation for Muslim women.
MoS for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel has urged opposition parties not to block the passage of the history bill in the Rajya Sabha and help governmentin enacting the law.
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Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2.30 PM with noisy protest by Congress over setting up of JPC to probe alleged scam in Rafale deal.
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According to media reports, in case the Rajya Sabha fails to clear the Triple Talaq Bill, the government may bring an Ordinance or an emergency executive order to enact the law. Today is the last day of the 18-day long Monsoon Session of the parliament.
In a landmark order, the Supreme Court had in 2017 banned the instant practice of triple talaq by Muslim men.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has issued a three-line whip asking its members to be present in the Rajya Sabha when the Triple Talaq Bill is tabled. The bill is set to be tabled in the Upper House. On Thursday, the government had introduced three amendments to the Bill. Though the BJP is single largest party in the Rajya Sabha with 73 MPs, it lacks majority, and therefore it needs support of the Congress to pass the bill.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar has asked the Congress party and its president Rahul Gandhi to clarify their stand on the Triple Talaq Bill. “The Congress party and Rahul Gandhi should justify their stand on the Bill. The party must explain why it is opposed to equality.”
Triple talaq is an Islamic practice that allows a Muslim man to divorce his wife by saying 'talaq' three times. The government's decision to abolish the centuries-old practice has been criticised many Muslim political leaders including AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi and Muslim clerics. They have been arguing that triple talaq law proposed by the Modi government is an interference in the Islamic personal law.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar informed that the bill will tabled in the Rajya Sabha today for a discussion and approval.
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The bill has been listed in the business schedule in Rajya Sabha.
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The Triple Talaq Bill was cleared by the Lok Sabha in December last year. The government had tabled the Bill in the Rajya Sabha but it failed to pass the bill given that opposition demanded some changes and that the BJP government lacks numbers. On Thursday, the Union Cabinet headed PM Narendra Modi amended the Bill and is set to introduce in the Rajya Sabha for a debate and approval. The Bill, once cleared, will be sent back to the Lok Sabha. After receiving approval from the Lok Sabha, the bill will be sent to President Ram Nath Kovind for final assent. Today, August 10, is the last day of the Monsoon Session.
BJP's Amit Malviya said that the passage of the bill will be a very big step towards ensuring euality. "It would be a significant step towards ensuring woman empowerment, as Modi sarkaar tables the #TripleTalaqBill in Rajya Sabha today. The bill will give dignity and right to equality to 10 crore Muslim women."
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi refused to anwer question on whether her party will support the Triple Talaq Bill when it is tabled in the Rajya Sabha. peaker to reporters outside the Parliament, she said: "Our party's position is absolutely clear on this, I will not say anything on this further."
Meanwhile, opposition parties MPs are protesting outside the Parliament over alleged scam in the purchage of Rafale fighter jets from France.
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Addressing the media last evening, Union Law Minister attacked the Congress party for questioning the provisions in the law. He said that it is asked if the husband is jailed, who would take care of the wife. “Under the Dowry Act, Muslim husbands and mothers-in-law go to jail, in Domestic Violence Act people go to jail. Don't Muslim criminals go to jail in other offences. Why only raise the issue of triple talaq.”
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Hussain Dalwai said that women are treated unfairly in all communities including in Hindu. To justify his remark, the Congress leader said that 'even Lord Ram had left Sita'. “Women treated unfairly in all communities, not just Muslims, even Hindus, Christians, Sikhs etc. In every society, there is male domination. Even Shree Ram Chandra ji once left Sita ji after doubting her. So we need to change as a whole,” news agency ANI quoted him as saying.
The three amendments that were approved by the Union Cabinet are to the Muslim Women Protection of Rights on Marriage Bill, 2017, are:
1. Provision of bail but only by the Magistrate2. Allowing victim’s blood kin to file an FIR3. Provisions for a settlement in court
According to Ravi Shankar Prasad, in 2017, a total of 389 cases of instant triple talaq were reported. Between January and August last year, 229 cases were reported.
The BJP has urged the Congress to support the government in passing the bill in the Rajya Sabha where it lacks majority.
BJP president Amit Shah is currently holding a strategy meeting of BJPs on the Triple Talaq Bill. The BJP government wants to push for the passage of the Bill today, the last day of the Monsoon Session.
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The proposed law has a provision that a man who pronounces triple talaq will be punished with a three-year jail term and a fine. The triple talaq victim will also be entitled to maintenance for her and her children. Besides, she can seek the custody of her minor children from the magistrate who will take a final call on the issue.
Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the offence has been made compoundable. He said that if the wife and the husband desire to settle their differences, then the magistrate can compound the offence on appropriate terms and conditions. "Magistrate can grant bail after hearing the wife," he told reporters on Thursday.