Triple talaq bill will find support in Rajya Sabha: Prasad

The government expressed hope Friday that the triple talaq bill, which criminalises the practice of instant divorce by Muslim men, will find support in the Rajya Sabha, whose approval is necessary for the bill to become law.

The contentious triple talaq bill was passed by the Lok Sabha for the second time in less than a year after a heated debate Thursday.

"I appreciate the maturity of the Rajya Sabha and also the sensitivity of the issue. We believe that we will get support in the Rajya Sabha," Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters during a Cabinet briefing.

The bill should not be about "political opposition" as it talks about justice for woman victims of triple talaq, he said.

The passage of the bill in the Upper House is likely to be a difficult task for the government as it lacks a majority there unlike in the Lok Sabha.

Opposition parties, including the Congress, and some regional parties such as the AIADMK, which has often supported the government in Parliament, have already expressed their reservations against the bill.

Prasad rejected arguments made by opposition parties against The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill.

Everybody said that triple talaq is wrong but they (opposition) also added that don't make it a criminal offence, he said, terming this a "strange logic".

Prasad noted when women file for divorce against their husbands, they at times also slap a case of cruelty which, he added, is a criminal case.

"It was also said that this does not happen in other religions. But the fact is that the practice of triple talaq is not in any other religion," he said.

The Lok Sabha Thursday passed the bill with 245 voting in its favour and 11 opposing the legislation. Most opposition parties staged a walkout.