Triple talaq bill in Rajya Sabha: Opposition demands amendments; Centre against sending it to select committee

NEW DELHI: The contentious 'triple talaq' bill that criminalises the practice of instant divorce among Muslims was on Wednesday introduced in the Rajya Sabha with the Congress, TMC and left front demanding that the bill should be sent to a select committee for review. There was a spar between the Centre and the opposition in the Upper House as the latter was demanding amendments in the bill. Later, the House was adjourned for the day after heated exchanges. Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad tabled the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. He also cited an incident from Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad where a woman was given triple talaq over dowry. "Even after passage of the bill in the Lok Sabha the triple talaq practice is still in continuing. A woman in Moradabad was given triple talaq over dowry," he told the Hose. After its introduction, Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma moved a notice stating the bill should be referred to a select committee. He also proposed the names of committee members. Finance Minister and leader of the House Arun Jaitley cornered Sharma by questioning why the motion was not submitted a day before. "The house is taken by surprise that a motion is suddenly moved, it has not been submitted a day before. The motion has to be given at least 24 hours in advance," Jaitley said. He accused the Congress of "double standards" in its stand on the bill, saying it was trying to stall the bill in the Rajya Sabha after supporting it in the Lok Sabha. "The entire country is watching that in the Lok Sabha you supported the bill and in this House, you are trying to derail it," he said. Giving a reason why the shouldn't go to a select committee, Jaitley said, "When the practice was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, two of the judges held it as unfair and used their extraordinary power to suspend it for 6 months, which expires on 22 February". "Judges said that they are now suspending it for six months and beseeched all parties to come out with an apt legislation within this period. So, there is an urgency that country expects from the Parliament," Jaitley told the House. "Legislature must act with a sense of responsibility," he said. The government has to get the support of the opposition and other non-NDA parties in the Rajya Sabha for passage this bill as it does not have a majority in the House, unlike the Lok Sabha where it enjoys strong support. The bill, among other things, criminalises instant triple talaq, or 'talaq-e-biddat', where a husband pronounces divorce thrice in one go, with imprisonment up to three years.