All-India Muslim Personal Law Board’s woman wing has decried the ordinance on triple talaq promulgated by the Centre, saying it was infringement on Muslim personal law and Shariat.
Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, while announcing the approval of the ordinance by the Union Cabinet on September 19, had said that “there was compelling necessity” to bring the ordinance as instances of talak-e-biddat or instant talaq continued unabated despite the Supreme Court striking down the social malice in 2017.
The Muslim women’s organisation campaigning for the bill banning triple talaq had said, “Prime Minister rings the knell of social justice for our Muslim sisters, the real minority within the minority who have suffered silently for years! A small step for womankind, giant leap for humanity! Cannot thank our Government enough.”
In a meeting held here on Friday under the banner of Tahriq Tahuffuje Shariat, (Save Shariat Committee), Uttar Pradesh, the speakers, most of whom were women, slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre for bringing the ordinance on triple talaq.
AIMPLB member and head of the Tahriq Tahuffuje Shariat, Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali, said that the Centre’s ordinance was against the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution to the citizens on their religious belief.
“The ordinance is an insult for the community and interference with the Shariat,” the Maulana said and appealed to the community to solve their domestic issues in the Darul Kaza, the Shariat courts.
Women members of the AIMPLB, Nighat Praveen Khan, Ameena Rizwan Mominati and Dr Saba Takamin also supported the Maulana and claimed that the ordinance had created further problems for Muslim women in the country.
The ordinance was promulgated a month after the government had approved certain safeguards in it, such as adding a provision of bail for the accused before trial.
On August 9, the Union Cabinet had approved three amendments to the Muslim Women Protection of Rights on Marriage Bill which has been cleared by Lok Sabha but is pending approval of the Rajya Sabha.
The government was unable to get the Triple Talaq Bill passed during the monsoon and the budget sessions of Parliament.