Arunachal CM hails passage of triple talaq bill

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has hailed the passage of the triple talaq bill passed by Parliament making the Muslim practice of instant divorce a criminal offence, punishable by a jail term of up to three years.

He said once the President gives his assent to the bill, the new law will formally be notified and a new chapter of equality and gender justice would be scripted in the history of India.

"This is a historic bill brought by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and its safe passage through both the Houses proves its relevance. For decades, women of the Muslim community were deprived of their rights as enshrined in our Constitution," Khandu said in a statement here on Wednesday.

Women of the community were subjected to injustice through this "archaic clause" that allowed a Muslim man to divorce his wife by stating the word 'talaq' three times in oral, written, or more recently, electronic form, the BJP leader said.

The chief minister also attributed the success of the bill to the years of struggle and opposition by millions of Muslim women of the country.