In victory for govt, Rajya Sabha passes Bill to ban instant triple talaq

On paper, as many as 136 members should have opposed the Bill in a House of 241 members

With the Rajya Sabha passing the Bill on Tuesday evening, Parliament has approved a law to make instant triple talaq a criminal offence. Under the proposed law, which not only the opposition but two of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s allies opposed, offenders will get a three-year jail term.

The highlight of the day, however, was the Narendra Modi government managing the numbers in support of the Bill in the Rajya Sabha. The government would have suffered an embarrassing defeat if all political parties who opposed the Bill had walked the talk.

The challenge before the BJP’s floor strategists was more