The Lok Sabha on December 28, 2018 passed by voice vote the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2017 that makes instant triple talaq or talaq-e-biddat a criminal offence, with a jail term of up to three years.
Key Highlights
The Bill makes all declaration of talaq, including in written or electronic form, to be void (i.e. not enforceable in law) and illegal.
It defines talaq as talaq-e-biddat or any other similar form of talaq pronounced by a Muslim man resulting in instant and irrevocable divorce.
Talaq-e-biddat refers to the practice under Muslim personal laws where pronouncement of the word ‘talaq’ thrice in one sitting by a Muslim man to his wife results in an instant and irrevocable divorce.
Need for the Bill: The object statement of the Triple Talaq Bill states that the Supreme Court's recent judgment has had no deterrent effect and therefore, a Bill criminalising instant triple talaq or talaq-e-biddat was required.
