All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday called the Triple Talaq bill as unconstitutional and said that it will be a “greater injustice against women”, if passed.
“It’s a violation of Constitution’s Article 14 and 15. We already have Domestic Violence Act 2005, CrPC Section 125, Muslim Women Marriage Act. If Triple Talaq Bill becomes a law it will be even greater injustice against women,” he told reporters outside Parliament today following a debate on the Bill.
“If a man gets arrested, how will he give allowance from jail? Government says if a Muslim man commits this crime the marriage will remain intact and he’ll be jailed for three years if punished by court. He’ll be jailed for 3 yrs but marriage will be intact! What law is Mr Modi forming?” he was quoted as saying by ANI.
The Hyderabad MP then asked how a Muslim man can be imprisoned for 3 years and a non-Muslim for 1 year if such a law is implemented.
“I would like to ask him what kind of justice is this that if such law is implemented on a non-Muslim man then he goes to jail for 1 year and Muslim man goes to jail for 3 years,” he said.
A ruckus erupted in Lok Sabha earlier today when the Government and Opposition clashed over the fresh Triple Talaq bill that seeks to make the practice “void and illegal and an offence punishable with imprisonment up to three years and fine”.
Congress MP from Kerala Shashi Tharoor said the government should bring a uniform law and not one that only targets Muslim men.
“Men from other religions also desert their wives,” Tharoor said. “There are no procedural safeguards in the bill, refer it to a standing committee… it is a discriminatory bill,” he added.
Calling the bill “discriminatory”, Owaisi said, “Why put the burden of proof on Muslim women? Who will pay the maintenance if the Muslim man is jailed for 3 years? Will you?”
Defending the bill, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that it was about justice and women empowerment and will protect the rights of Muslim women.
“People have chosen us to make laws. It is our work to make laws. Law is to give justice to the victims of Triple Talaq,” Prasad told the Lok Sabha.
The law seeks to declare the practice of triple talaq to be void and illegal and makes it an offence punishable with imprisonment up to three years and fine.
Earlier, on 12 June, the Union Cabinet approved the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019, paving the way for the legislation to be introduced in Parliament.
The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019 will replace an ordinance issued in February by the previous BJP-led NDA government.