Rajya Sabha clears Triple Talaq bill, Centre says 'historic day'
New Delhi : The Triple Talaq bill, that had failed to get clearance in Rajya Sabha last time, sailed through the opposition-dominated upper house on Tuesday.
The bill, which sought to end the practice of Muslim men instantly divorcing their wives by uttering "talaq" thrice, saw stiff opposition when it was presented in the Lok Sabha. A few parties - Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United, AIADMK and K Chandrashekar Rao's Telangana Rashtra Samithi – who had opposed the bill in Lok Sabha, showed their support in the Rajya Sabha.
While the AIADMK and Nitish Kumar's party walked out, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi and Mehbooba Mufti's PDP abstained from voting, bringing down the majority mark.
With several Rajya Sabha members missing from the house, their vote went out of the counting. The list of absentees included Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel of the NCP, five lawmakers from the Congress, six from the Samajwadi Party, four from Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party, two from Trinamool Congress, and one each from Lalu Yadav's Rashtruya Janata Dal and MK Stalin's DMK.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after the bill was passed in Rajya Sabha, tweeted that it is the victory of gender justice.
"An archaic and medieval practice has finally been confined to the dustbin of history! Parliament abolishes Triple Talaq and corrects a historical wrong done to Muslim women. This is a victory of gender justice and will further equality in society. India rejoices today!" PM Modi tweeted.
In the Rajya Sabha, the bill was passed with 90 votes in its favour and 84 against.
Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who tabled the bill, said, "Today is a historic day. Both the Houses have given justice to the Muslim women. This is the beginning of a transforming India".
