India ----- Triple Talaq Now A Criminal Offence, Brief Analysis- By Mohit Singh
Triple Talaq Bill Passed in India’s Upper House
Rajya Sabha.
Triple Talaq Bill has been finally passed by Rajya
Sabha, with respect to women empowerment this bill was much needed to be passed by the parliament. Triple
Talaq Bill can play a very crucial role and reform our present society only if
it is implemented properly. The actual name of this bill is not Triple Talaq,
rather Triple Talaq Bill is a name that has been coined by Indian media. This
bill was passed by Rajya Sabha as ‘Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on
Marriage) Bill,2019’, waiting for President’s assent after which it will
transform into law.
Official Definition of Triple Talaq: Officially
this bill makes all declaration of instant divorce, including in written or
electronic form, to be void (not enforceable by law) and illegal. Further this
bill 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 either through dialogue, written form or electronic form by
a Muslim man to his wife results in an instant and irrevocable divorce.
Further Declarations: This
bill clearly declares triple talaq a cognizable offence (Cognizable Offence is
an offence that comes under the jurisdiction of court rendering power to a
police officer to arrest the accused without warrant), thereby attracting up to
three years imprisonment with a fine, along with a condition that the complaint
has to be filed by a married woman (against whom talaq has been pronounced), or
by her blood relatives. Either of the two condition has to be fulfilled for the
police to take action. The bill further states that, the Magistrate has the
power to grant bail to the accused but it all depends on Magistrate’s
discretion, after hearing the woman. The offence may be compounded by the
Magistrate upon the request of the woman.
*Compounding simply means stopping the ongoing legal
procedure with the agreement of both sides, thereby settling the dispute.
Alimony and Custody of Children: A Muslim
Woman is entitled to seek subsistence allowance from her husband for herself
and for her children, here Magistrate has been granted the power to determine the
amount. She is also entitled to seek custody of her children but again this
will be determined by the Magistrate.
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