'Muslim Women Rights Day' To Commemorate Two Years Of Triple Talaq Law

Muslim Women Rights Day has been announced by the Ministry of Minority Affairs for celebrating two years to the enactment of a law prohibiting triple talaq.

The Ministry of Minority Affairs announced that the Muslim Women Rights Day would be observed across the country on August 1. The legislation that triple talaq as a criminal offence came into effect on August 1, 2019.

Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said in his statement, the Government has strengthened the "self-reliance, self-respect and self-confidence" of the Muslim women of the country and protected their constitutional, fundamental and democratic rights by bringing the law against the Triple Talaq.

A programme in New Delhi will observe Muslim Women Rights Day. This programme will be attended by Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani and Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav.

After the legislation banning Triple Talaq was released, several petitions were filed against it. One such petition stated that this legislation violated the rights of the husband. The law of Triple Talaq also known as instant divorce, which was held by the Muslim men, stated that a husband could divorce his wife by repeating the word "talaq" (divorce) three times in any form, including email or text message.

This practice was declared to be unconstitutional in 2017 by the Supreme Court. According to the law, men who breached it would be punishable for up to three years. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supported the bill while the main opposition Congress party opposed it.

The MP from the opposition All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen party, Asaduddin Owaisi, expressed his opinion about the ban and said, "This law is against Muslim women & marginalizes them even more. The law forces a woman to stay in a marriage with an imprisoned man who'd verbally & emotionally abused her. It puts the burden of proof on Muslim women & forces her into impoverishment."

This law is against Muslim women & marginalizes them even more. The law forces a woman to stay in a marriage with an imprisoned man who'd verbally & emotionally abused her. It puts the burden of proof on Muslim women & forces her into impoverishment

— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) July 30, 2019