The Personal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018

The Personal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018 introduced in Lok Sabha that seeks to amend five personal laws - the Divorce Act (for Christians), the Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act, the Hindu Marriage Act, the Special Marriage Act and the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act - to strike down leprosy as a ground for seeking divorce.

Key Highlights

• Based on the recommendations of the National Human Rights Commission, the observations of the Committee on Petitions of the RajyaSabha, the recommendations of the Law Commission and the observations by the Supreme Court; the government finally introduced such bill that would ensure elimination of discrimination against leprosy-affected persons and provide for their integration into the mainstream of the society.
• The government reasoned that the provision of leprosy as a ground for divorce was part of these laws because when these acts came into being, leprosy was incurable then.