Muslim women meet Law Min Ravi Shankar Prasad to thank BJP govt for Talaq ordinance

A group of Muslim women on Sunday met Union Law and Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to thank him and the Narendra Modi government for bringing an ordinance to make the practice of instant triple talaq a penal offense.

The women who gathered at the minister's residence here from various areas of Patna also greeted the minister with roses as a mark of their gratitude.

"I thank the minister and the government for bringing the ordinance. It will help us lodge a case if a husband deserts his wife through triple talaq. We are happy we got freedom," Reshma Khatoon, one of the women who called on Prasad, told PTI.

The Union cabinet had on September 19 cleared an ordinance to make the practice of instant triple talaq a penal offense, citing compelling necessity for the move as the practice, annulled by the Supreme Court, continued unabated.

"Men used to divorce their wives in a fit of rage. Such a practice cannot be allowed in a civilized society. Now with the ordinance in place, we can hope for some relief in future," said Ayesha Khatoon, another woman.

She added, "Men would try to mend their ways with the fear of the law. They would be afraid of going to jail after pronouncing instant triple talaq."

Prasad told the women that the intention of the government was not to break families but to ensure "honor and justice" to women who have suffered a lot because of the practice.

Congress has blocked the passage of the bill on triple talaq despite the government's repeated requests to pass it in the upper house, he said.

"We repeatedly appealed to Sonia Gandhi for passage of the bill but she did not stand for the rights of Muslim women who have been suffering a lot. She (Sonia Gandhi) supported the bill in Lok Sabha but opposed it in the Rajya Sabha. This is for vote bank politics," said Prasad.

"I am the law minister of Narendra Modi government and not that of Rajiv Gandhi government...I am solidly behind my Muslim women sisters on the issue of instant triple talaq both inside and outside the Supreme Court," the minister said.

When Prasad asked whether the women were happy with the government's decision, they all replied in affirmative.

"I am happy to see the happiness on their faces," Prasad said.