(FE)
The government is looking to make triple talaq or talaq-e-biddat a criminal offence among other changes in the existing law in a bid to make amendments to The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986 or more commonly known as the Shah Bano Act, according to The Indian Express report. Officials said that making amendments to The Muslim Women Act was discussed in a meeting attended by Group of Ministers (GoM) who will take the final decision to draft a law to make triple talaq a criminal offence. Other than drafting a ‘new preamble’ for the Shah Bano Act, the government is considering to make changes to Section 125 Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc) (order for maintenance of making wives, children and parents) to provide safety for women who are abandoned via instant triple talaq.
The meeting that took place last week was headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh where External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj suggested changes to the Act whereas Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad broached suggestions to alter provisions of the CrPc and Indian Penal Code (IPC). The Supreme Court in August had carried out a landmark verdict by banning the practice of instant talaq.
