New Delhi, Ending all speculation, President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday repromulgated the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Ordinance, commonly known as the triple talaq ordinance, for the third time.
The President also promulgated three other ordinances cleared by the Union Cabinet on Tuesday. These include the Companies (Second Amendment) Ordinance, the Medical Council Ordinance and the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Ordinance, 2019 meant to prevent chit fund scams and protect small investors.
The repromulgation of the triple talaq ordinance, which has the provision of sending a Muslim man to jail for up to three years for divorcing his wife through triple talaq (instant irrevocable divorce), is significant as it comes ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
In the past, Presidents have returned ordinances brought by the government just ahead of the elections, leading to speculation whether the controversial triple talaq ordinance would get the Presidential nod.
The government got the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill passed by the Lok Sabha twice, but the Bill could not sail through the Rajya Sabha where the government could not muster the numbers.
The Bill is set to lapse in the Rajya Sabha as no consensus could be built over it with the Opposition that has objected to the penal provision in the Bill.
The opposition parties demanded the Bill should be sent to a select committee for thorough scrutiny and wider consultations. However, the government did not agree.
The government first brought the triple talaq ordinance in September last year and has since repromulgated it thrice, drawing flak from the Opposition, Muslim bodies and even women rights activists primarily for turning a civil matter (divorce) into a criminal one.