NEW DELHI: The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Sunday rejected the central government's decision to table a bill on triple talaq saying it takes away the right to divorce from men.
The non-government body held an emergency meeting in Lucknow ahead of the tabling of the bill in Parliament next week.
In the meeting, the Muslim law board said that the proposed bill is against women and will destroy many families. It also said that the bill is against Sharia law and that no Muslim body or scholar was consulted before the government drafted the bill.
"Seeing the provisions of the bill, it seems that the government wants to snatch the right of divorce from men. This is a big conspiracy. The draft of the bill also states that triple talaq (talaq-e-biddat) and other forms of talaq will be banned," Maulana Khalil- ur-Rehman Sajjad Nomani, the spokesperson of the AIMPLB said.
The chairman of the board, Maulana Rabe Hasani Nadwi, will request Prime Minister Narendra Modi to withhold or withdraw the proposed bill that criminalises the practice of instant divorce, an official spokesperson of the Muslim body said.
"The board is of the view that the triple talaq bill is against the Constitution, rights of women and Shariah (Islamic law). Apart from this, it is also an attempt to interfere with the Muslim personal law. If this bill becomes a law, then women will face a host of difficulties," said Maulana Khalil- ur-Rehman Sajjad Nomani, the spokesperson of the AIMPLB.
"We request the Centre not to present the bill in Parliament. If the government feels that it is very important, then it should first speak to the Muslim Personal Law Board and Muslim women organisations," Nomani said.
"The proposed bill is against the basic principles of the Constitution. It is highly objectionable that the Centre did not consult the AIMPLB, any Muslim organisation or any stakeholder before preparing the draft of the bill," he alleged.
After the Supreme Court declared the practice of instant divorce 'void, illegal and unconstitutional', the Prime Minister Narendra Modi led Cabinet on December 15 approved the bill that makes instant triple talaq illegal.
The Muslim Women Protection of Rights on Marriage Bill, prepared by an inter-ministerial group headed by home minister Rajnath Singh, will be introduced by the government in Parliament next week. Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad will introduce the bill in the Rajya Sabha.
The drafted bill says that "any pronouncement of talaq by a person upon his wife, by words, either spoken or written or in electronic form or in any other manner whatsoever, shall be void and illegal".
There is also a provision of imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and fine for violators.
The draft bill also envisages entitling divorcee Muslim women for maintenance.
"Without prejudice to the generality of the provisions contained in any other law for the time being in force,a married Muslim woman upon whom talaq is pronounced, shall be entitled to receive from her husband such amount of subsistence allowance for her and dependent children as may be determined by the Magistrate," says the draft bill.
It also has a provision for the divorced Muslim women to have the custody of their minor children.
"Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, a married Muslim woman shall be entitled to custody of her minor children in the event of pronouncement of talaq by her husband, in such manner as may be determined by the Magistrate," the draft bill says.
The offences under the purview of this bill will be cognizable and non-bailable.It shall extend to the whole of India except Jammu and Kashmir.
