Muslim Women Board wants changes in Triple Talaq Bill

The All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board (AIMWPLB), which had openly denounced instant triple talaq and demanded a ban on it after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, now wants changes to be made in the triple talaq bill, pending approval in the Rajya Sabha.

The board says although the bill is a step in the right direction, it should have a window for reconciliation between husband and wife and also some other clauses to prevent its misuse by vested interests.

“Though the bill is in the right direction, it is flawed and seems to have been drafted hastily. I have written a letter to PM Modi drawing his attention towards the amendments required in it,” said AIMWPLB president Shaista Amber.

The Central government introduced the bill after the Supreme Court had outlawed the controversial divorce practice in August and asked the government to frame a law within six months.

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2017 makes instant triple talaq, or ‘talaqe-biddat’, a criminal offence with a jail term of up to three years.

“There would have been no need for this bill had they (AIMPLB clerics) heeded advice on denouncing and imposing a ban on instant triple talaq,” said Munisa Abidi, a Mumbai member of AIMWPLB.

The women personal law board chief had met PM Modi in August last year

The board says although the bill is a step in the right direction, it should have a window for reconciliation between husband and wife and also some other clauses to prevent its misuse by vested interests

and presented him a draft copy of a model ‘nikahnama.’ Priced at Rs 250, the model marriage contract drafted by Amber has already sold more than 1,000 copies. This four-page document (available in Hindi, English and Urdu), however, has been rejected by the AIMPLB.

AIMPLB spokesperson Maulana Khalil-ur-Rehma Sajjad Nomani says there is no scope for a change or modification when it comes to Islamic shariah (laws).