Muslim religious bodies to oppose new bill on triple talaq

With the fresh bill to ban instant triple talaq all set to be introduced in the ongoing Monsoon session of Parliament, Muslim religious organisations have made it clear that the legislation in its present form will not be acceptable to them.

While the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) was against the bill from the outset, it is the opposition by the All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board, initially in favour of the law, which has surprised many. “I have been one of the harshest critics and opponents of the instant triple talaq and was the first one to hail the ban. But we were against the jail term of three years for offenders without exhausting other means for reconciliation and patch-up between the couple,” said Shaista Amber, president of the women’s body.

The previous bill on TT to convert the earlier ordinance, issued in September 2018, was cleared by the Lok Sabha in December but could not be passed by the Rajya Sabha when Parliament was dissolved ahead of general election 2019. Subsequently, it lapsed as it could not be cleared in the Rajya Sabha. On June 12, the Union cabinet again approved a fresh bill banning the practice of instant triple talaq after the controversial original bill was held back by the opposition.

Amber said the bill in the present form was not acceptable to them and she had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to invite religious scholars and bodies like the AIMPLB, Jamat-e- Islami and Jamait-i-Ulema Hind for discussion before giving a nod to the new bill. The AIMPLB, which had launched a campaign against the proposed bill and managed to get the old bill stalled in the Rajya Sabha with the help of the Congress and all other non-BJP parties, says its stand remains the same. “We are keeping a watch on the developments; the AIMPLB has tasked one of its members Qasim Rasool Ilyas to study the revised draft and give his feedback, after which we would formulate our strategy,” said AIMPLB secretary Zafaryab Jilani.

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019 replaces an ordinance issued in February after the previous bill lapsed. The so-called triple talaq bill was one of the signature legislative initiatives of the previous BJP government, but was stuck in the Rajya Sabha following the opposition’s demand for closer scrutiny by a select committee.