Make all stakeholders part of the committee, says AIMWPLB

LUCKNOW: The All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board on Saturday demanded that the union government must make all stake holders, including the Board, a part of the committee entrusted with the task of framing law on Muslim marriages and divorce.

On August 22 this year, the apex court had made triple talaq unconstitutional. The All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board was also a party to the case in the Supreme Court.

The Modi government is all set to introduce a legislation in the forthcoming winter session of Parliament, to outlaw the controversial Muslim practice of instant triple talaq.

Shaista Ambar, president of the AIMWPLB, had waged a long battle against the practice. .

“The union government must make all stake holders, including the AIMWPLB, a part of the committee that is framing law on Muslim Marriages and divorce,” Ambar told newsmen here on Saturday.

The AIMWPLB president also demanded that the government must consider making a Muslim Marriage Act on lines of the Hindu Marriage Act to safeguard interests of Muslim women.

The Board also requested the Modi government to make instant triple talaq a punishable offence.

Raising another important point, Shaista Ambar demanded that the government must make registration of all Muslim marriages compulsory

Also present on the occasion, Chandra Rajan, a Supreme Court lawyer who is the Board’s advocate, said: “The proposed law must also have a provision for return of mehar and all belongings received by the wife at the time of Nikah , in case of divorce.”

She also asserted that payment of alimony by the husband must be compulsory in case of divorce.

The Board has also requested the Centre to incorporate in the proposed legislation a law to ensure custody of children to mother in case of divorce and also a provision for payment of maintenance amount for children from ex-husband.