 "Govt to table triple talaq bill in Lok Sabha; Sushma Swaraj likely to speak on Kulbhushan Jadhav row")
The Winter Session of Parliament is expected to have a busy Thursday as the government will
introduce a bill in the Lok Sabha criminalising triple talaq. On the other hand, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is expected to
make a statement in both Houses of the Parliament over the ongoing controversy over Kulbhushan Jadhav meeting with his family. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill is listed for introduction in the Lok Sabha by Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on 28 December, according to the list of business in the Lower House. The bill, prepared by an inter-ministerial group headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, makes instant triple talaq or talaq-e-biddat in any form – spoken, in writing or by electronic means such as email, SMS and WhatsApp – “illegal and void” and provides for a jail term of three years for the husband. [caption id=“attachment_4278311” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of the Parliament. Reuters[/caption] As per the provisions of the bill, the husband could also be fined and the quantum of fine would be decided by the magistrate hearing the case. It was cleared by the Union Cabinet earlier this month. The bill was listed for introduction last week, but Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar later told reporters that it would be introduced this week. Kulbhushan Jadhav row Meanwhile, after the Opposition
strongly protested the way Jadhav’s family members were treated by Pakistan authorities when they had gone there to meet the former naval officer, Swaraj announced that she would be making a statement in both the Houses of Parliament on the issue on Thursday.
#FLASH: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to give a statement in Rajya Sabha at 11 AM tomorrow and at 12 noon in Lok Sabha #KulbhushanJadhav (File picture) pic.twitter.com/rkg11kHgk2
— ANI (@ANI) December 27, 2017
Jadhav, who was arrested in March 2016, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court for alleged spying, an accusation that India has dismissed as concocted. On Tuesday, India accused Pakistan of violating mutual understanding on Jadhav’s meeting with his family, and said the Indian national appeared coerced and under considerable stress during the tightly-controlled interaction. Pakistan went so far as to have the mangal sutra, bangles and bindi of his mother and wife removed before they could meet him, the external affairs ministry had said on Tuesday. Other businesses of the Houses But apart from the triple talaq bill and Jadhav case, there will also be other legislative bills that will be tabled or passed in both Houses of Parliament. In Lok Sabha, Urban Development Minister Hardeep Puri will table The Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Amendment Bill, 2017. Later, Prasad will table The High Court And The Supreme Court Judges (Salaries And Conditions Of Service) Amendment Bill, 2017. The bill will increase the salaries of the Chief Justice of India, other judges of the Supreme Court, chief justices of the high courts as well as other judges of high courts by over 2 times. In the Rajya Sabha, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will table a bill to amend the NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) Act. Later in the day he is also expected to table another bill to enable the State Bank of India to acquire the subsidiary banks like State Bank of Bikaner, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of Travancore, and State Bank of Hyderabad. Follow our live blog for full coverage of the Winter Session of Parliament With inputs from PTI
