President Kovind gives assent to historic Triple Talaq Bill, day after Parliament passes it

President Ram Nath Kovind has given assent to triple talaq bill passed by Parliament, turning it into a law which makes practice of instant divorce among Muslims a punishable offence, a government tification said. gazette tification, published Wednesday, says president has given assent to bill passed by Parliament. Act will replace an ordinance promulgated on February 21 this year to same effect.

new law Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marri) Act, 2019  makes talaq-e-biddat or any or similar form of talaq having effect of instantaneous and irrevocable divorce prounced by a Muslim husband void and illegal. It makes it illegal to prounce talaq three times in spoken, written or through SMS or WhatsApp or any or electronic chat in one sitting. "Any prouncement of talaq by a Muslim husband upon his wife, by words, eir spoken or written or in electronic form or in any or manner whatsoever, shall be void and illegal," law says.

Any Muslim husband who prounces illegal form of talaq upon his wife shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, and shall also be liable to fine, it says.

bill was passed by Rajya Sabha with 99 votes in favour and 84 against, as ruling NDA, which lacks majority in upper house, was helped by absence of some members of opposition Congress, SP and BSP as well as six members of Telangana Rashtra Samithi and two MPs of YSR-Congress.

triple talaq bill could t make it through upper house earlier this year during first term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, although it was passed by Lok Sabha. bill was again passed by Lok Sabha last week amid a walkout by several opposition parties including Congress and Trinamool Congress.

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opposition parties h said in its current form, proposed law could be misused to harass Muslims and wanted it to be reviewed by a parliamentary committee. Criminalising offence, bill gives a police officer powers to arrest offender without requiring a warrant, y h said. To check misuse of cognisable nature of offence, bill makes declaration of talaq-e-biddat only if complaint is filed by aggrieved woman or any of her relation by blood or marri, Act says.

A magistrate can grant bail only after hearing aggrieved woman, it says. aggrieved woman is entitled to demand a maintenance for her and her dependent children under Act. Opposing bill, Leer of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Az h said a law should t be me to "finish one particular religion" and claimed that "cat has come out of bag".  He said government should t target one section by framing an "unconstitutional" law but inste provide 33 per cent reservation to women in legislatures for ir empowerment, way Congress government h brought in reservation for women in panchayats, corporations and local bodies.

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