Recently Lok Sabha has passed the Triple Talaq bill also called Muslim Women Bill criminalising instant Triple Talaq.
BJP the ruling party didn’t encounter any major opposition in passing this bill except the opposition from All India Muslim League, Asadduddin Owais’s AIMIM, Samaj Wadi Party and RJD.
Meanwhile the opposition party, Congress, provided the BJP smooth road to pass the Triple Talaq Bill although it had minor issues with some provisions in the bill.
The proposed law would be applicable to the entire country, except in Jammu and Kashmir. It would make instant Triple Talaq punishable and would be a cognisable, non-bailable offence.
Calling it a historic step, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Bill — The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2017 — will act as a deterrent against the gender injustice that woman are being subjected to.
He also said that he “cannot see his Muslims sister being denied the justice”.
Triple Talaq bill has criminalised the instant triple talaq given by a man to his woman which carries the punishment upto three years.
The burden of proof rests with woman. Instant Triple Talaq given in any form oral or textual like SMS, Whatsapp, emails fall in this bill. The maintenance charges of his dependents are to be met by the man. The custody of children is given to the woman.
Pertinently, three months back before this bill was passed, Supreme Court had given a judgment declaring the Instant Triple Talaq unconstitutional and invalid. It means the Triple Talaq bill punishes a man for an action which is declared invalid and unconstitutional by the apex body of Supreme Court.
It’s against the Rule of Law. Woman can get her man arrested without any arrest warrant unless offence is proven despite that fact that man is punished for an act which is invalid.
All this raises doubts on the intention of the ruling Party.
Practically man in custody convicted of instant Triple Talaq can never meet the requirements of his family leaving his family at the mercy of nature. It will further deteriorate the plight of the family. Moreover the means of reconciliation are being looked over.
Supreme Court’s verdict in this regard is quite mature by simply declaring instant Triple Talaq as invalid i.e. having no value without getting man arrested and family leaving family starving. This is nothing more than a political tactic of BJP to consolidate the Hindu vote bank.
Muslims women activists are of the view that they never wanted this type of law to exist they wanted to achieve gender equality so that they will live with dignity getting rid of constant threat of instant Triple Talaq .
This bill is also against the judgment of the apex court in which majority of the judges didn’t favour the government to make any law in this regard, although minority of two judges did favour the government to take steps to uphold the principle of gender equality.
Having look at the last more than three years of BJP rule it has been quite anti-Muslim. Mess has been created by these Hindu jingoists in power. From ‘love jihad’ to population explosion that Muslims are often blamed for, has relegated the Muslims down to the bottom low.
Freedom of religion is violated and nobody is coming to their rescue. Muslims are being treated as second class citizens. They are being denied the right to marry of their own choice. Accusing Muslims man for marrying a Hindu girl with an intention of converting the Hindu girls into Islam, clearly indicates their state of mind.
Their jingoist selves clearly bring their slogan “Hindustan is For Hindus only” to the lime light. Muslims are being victimized at each and every place. They are being forced to chant Hindu slogans which is against the Freedom of religion.
Gau rakshaks have completely wreaked havoc on the security of Muslims all over India. These Gau Rakhshak goons are being unleashed on roads just to terrorise the society and divide the society and create fears in the minds of the Muslims. Last year, Umar from Rajasthan was brutally killed by these cow vigilantes and his body was thrown on railway track to make it look like an accident.
What adds salt to the wounds is instead of tracking down the killer of Umar, FIR is being filed by the Rajasthan police under Rajasthan Bovine Animal(Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration Or Export) Act against the cow smugglers and names the victim of murderous violence, as the “accused” while those who killed them were named as unknown in that FIR.
This government is hell bent on criminalizing the Muslims rather than punishing the murderers. This is a crystal clear ploy being hatched by state machinery to undermine the barbaric murder of Umar by these so called Gau Rakhsaks with sinister designs of criminalising the victims of this merciless violence and deflect the entire investigation process against the killers, providing justification for this heinous crime.
It is quite weird while you victimize Muslim men on the name of love jihad, beef eaters, population explosion and instant Triple Talaq, you call yourself the saviours of Muslim sisters.
Why these double standards? Muslims are being harassed on industrial scale on social media, news channels, etc. It looks a desperate attempt of the ruling party to consolidate their Hindu vote bank and nothing else.
Views expressed are author’s personal. Can be reached at: [email protected]
