POLITICIANS CUT ACROSS PARTY LINES TO HAIL SC JUDGMENT

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday led the party in welcoming the SC’s verdict on triple talaq even as AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi maintained that implementing the judgment would prove to be an “herculean task”.

“Welcome the Supreme Court decision setting aside instant #TripleTalaq. I congratulate the women who fought for justice,” tweeted Gandhi.

The Congress hailed the verdict as historic, saying it was an affirmation of the rights of the Muslim women .

“The instant talaq in itself was an aberration. (The ruling) recognises the pristine form of religious practice in Islam that abhors any exploitation,” party’s chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said.

Congress leader and senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, who represented the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) in the Supreme Court, also welcomed the verdict.

“But that decision where triple talaq is administered in one sitting is different from the decision in law which by majority says that personal laws can’t be tested on the anvil of Part III of Constitution. They cannot be tested on grounds of violation of Article 14 or 25,” he said.

Hailing the order, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said his party had always opposed the instant triple talaq while Mayawati called for the enactment of a law in this regard.

For his part, Owaisi claimed that the judges had ruled that personal laws could not be challenged as they fall under the ambit of fundamental rights. “We have to respect the judgment. But various practical difficulties will arise. It is going to be a herculean task to implement it on the ground,” he said.