Muslim women hail instant triple talaq bill, seek ban on polygamy

A day after the Lok Sabha passed the contentious bill on instant triple talaq, the development was hailed by several Muslim women involved in judicial war against the practice, with a rider that the government should have also banned polygamy.

The women, including those who waged the war against the archaic practice in the Supreme Court, said with the passing of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill in the lower House, “a new beginning has been made” and it will prove to be a deterrent for the husbands from saying talaqebiddat to their wives.

They said the new law should have also banned the practice of polygamy among Muslim men which, they said, was “more worse than triple talaq.”

The women, advocate Farah Faiz, Rizwana, Razia, who were associated in the fight against triple talaq and polygamy in the apex court, expressed satisfaction that at least “a start” has been made by the present NDA dispensation, reports PTI.

The same opportunity had come in 1985 when the Shah Bano case happened, but was lost by the then Central government, they claimed.

“A new beginning has been made which would protect Muslim women from immoral practice of nikah halala,” said Faiz, whose view was shared by Rizwana and Razia with a slight variance.

‘Nikah halala’ is a practice intended to curb incidence of divorce. Under this, a man cannot remarry his former wife without her having to go through the process of marrying someone else, consummating it, getting divorced, observing the separation period called ‘Iddat’ and then coming back to him.

Rizwana and Razia were of the view that the government should have dealt with the issue of polygamy by banning it in the same bill.