Will Triple Talaq Bill pass the Rajya Sabha test?

Aakriti Handa Moneycontrol News

Now that the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill has been passed in the Lok Sabha, the big question is whether it will pass muster in the Upper House.

The bill's passage in Lok Sabha, where BJP-led NDA has an overwhelming majority, was on expected lines.

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, said that the Bill is "divisive in nature" and against Muslim Personal Law. The Opposition has been arguing against criminalising the offender, as well as introducing amendments to give "subsistence allowance" to the woman.

However, this may not be the case in the Rajya Sabha, where the Opposition has the numbers in its favour. The Congress, AIADMK, and Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party have vehemently opposed the bill in the Lower House. In addition, Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal (BJD) are the opinion that the bill brings a criminal angle to a legislation on civil matters.

If these parties were to favour the Congress' stance on the matter, there is a good chance that the bill will be sent back to the Lower House.

If so, it won't be the first time that the bill will fail the test in the Upper House. Earlier this year, Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu had announced in the Monsoon Session of Parliament that the Triple Talaq Bill could not be taken up in the Upper House because "no consensus was reached on the matter". This was in spite of the Centre including amendments such as a provision of bail.