A bill seeking to criminalise the practice of instant triple talaq was introduced and passed in the Lok Sabha after an intense discussion.
In a bid to end the controversy that erupted over his remarks on the Constitution and stalled parliamentary proceedings , Minister of State for Skill Development Anantkumar Hegde on Thursday tendered an apology in the Lok Sabha. He said his speech at a function in Karnataka was distorted.
The Rajya Sabha passed the Repealing and Amending Bill 2017 .
After the passage of the triple talaq bill, the House has been adjourned till 11 a.m. December 29.
After Mr. Prasad’s reply, House passes the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017 . The Bill now goes to the Rajya Sabha.
Bill seeks to protect the rights of married Muslim women and to prohibit divorce by pronouncing talaq by their husbands and to provide for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
Also read: What is the instant triple talaq Bill? | The trouble with the triple talaq Bill
Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad replies to the debate on the bill. Mentions Sushmita Dev (INC, Silchar, Assam), Meenakshi Lekhi (BJP, New Delhi) and Supriya Sule (NCP, Baramati, Maharashtra) who put forward their views in support of their “Muslim sisters”.
He takes exception to the Congress’ stand supporting the Bill with ifs and buts.
Voices of protest from Congress benches. Speaker tells Minister to address the Chair.
After special mentions, the House is adjourned for the day.
The House is now passing the Bill, clause by clause.
Rajeev Gowda (Congress) called to present his amendment. He says question of moving the amendment comes only if the Minister does not give him an assurance.
Minister says Mr. Gowda’s suggestions on Section 377 are valuable, and says he will take them up with the Home Ministry.
P.P. Chaudhary Minister of State for Law and Justice replies to the debate on the Repealing and Amending Bill in the Rajya Sabha on December 28, 2017. Photo: RSTV
After some exchange, and “an assurance” from the Chair, Mr. Gowda withdraws his amendment.
AIADMK’s Navneetkrishnan says the question of Section 377 is sub judice. Also read.
The Bill has been passed by voice vote.
P.P. Chaudhary, MoS, Law and Justice is replying to the debate on the Repealing and Amending Bill 2017 .
Between 1950 and 2001 over a hundred Acts have been repealed. At one time, 100 such Acts were repealed in one go.
Tathagata Satpathy of the BJD speaks next in Odiya.
Kanimozhi of the DMK continues the short duration discussion in the House. P.J. Kurien is in the Chair now.
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan is in the Chair now.
Anwar Raajhaa of the AIADMK says that the Supreme Court had never said that triple talaq should be treated as a crime.
Bhubaneshwar Kalita is in the Chair.
Ms. Dey says that this Bill brings divorce into criminal law.
K.H. Muniyappa is in the Chair now. Ms. Dey says that this government is not willing to legislate marital rape, under the excuse that it is open to abuse and misuse. "Is this Bill not rife with the opportunity to abuse Muslim men?"
Meenakshi Lekhi of the BJP speaks now.
The House takes up a short duration discussion on the excessive air pollution in Delhi.
The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017 is taken up for consideration and passing.
Deputy Speaker M. Thambidurai is in the Chair.
Mallikarjun Kharge of the Congress says there are flaws in the Bill. He asks that the Bill be referred to a Parliamentary Standing Committee.
Sushmita Dey of the Congress speaks next. She calls it a historic Bill for the empowerment of women.
House reconvenes. Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien is in the Chair.
He says a Member, B.K. Hariprasad of the Congress "said he defied the Chair in the forenoon. That is a regretful act. I would expect him to express his regret over that." Chair clarifies that he isn't asking the Member to apologise.
Legislative business is up next.
The National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions Third (Amendment)) Bill, 2017 is taken up for consideration and passing.
Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State with Independent Charge in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs says that large scale evictions happened only once, and that the artisans of Katputli colony, have been provided an alternate location to practice their livelihood.
P. J. Kurien suggests that measures be taken to sort out the friction between the Lieutenant Governor and the Delhi Chief Minister.
Regarding the controversy surrounding the snub to Arvind Kejriwal for the inauguration of the Magenta Line of the Delhi Metro, Hardeep Singh Puri said that clearances for work on phase four of the Delhi Metro were stalled by the Delhi CM's office.
Clause by clause consideration is taken up.
The National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions Third (Amendment)) Bill, 2017 is passed.
Mr. Mahtab makes a submission about the Polavaram project, and Odisha not being consulted on it.
House is adjourned till 3 p.m.
The triple talaq Bill will be taken up for consideration and passing today. The Law Minister makes a statement in the House on the new Telangana High Court.
A.P. Jithender Reddy asks for a reassurance on appointment and elevation of judges. Mr. Prasad says that the collegium of the High Court and the Supreme Court decides on appointment of judges, and that he cannot give an assurance on the same.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh says that all issues relating to the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh can be taken up in a talk between the two Chief Ministers and himself.
Zero Hour continues with Sudip Bandhopadhyay of the Trinamool Congress making the next submission on the fiscal deficit target.
Ravi Shankar Prasad rises to move that The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017 is introduced.
Asaddudin Owaisi of the AIMIM opposes the introduction of the Bill. He says it violates Article 15 of the Constitution. He says there are existing laws which cover this. Bhartruhari Mahtab of the BJD says he too opposes the Bill calling it a flawed Bill.
The instant triple talaq Bill is introduced.
Arun Jaitley introduces The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2017 .
Zero Hour begins.
Jayadev Galla of the TDP rises to make a submission on river linking in Andhra Pradesh.
Anbumani Ramadoss of the PMK speaks about the damage wrought by cyclone Ockhi.
House reconvenes. Slogan shouting takes over the House.
House is adjourned till 2 p.m.
Jayadev Galla of the TDP asks a supplementary question on the saving of solar energy in batteries.
Question Hour ends. Papers are laid on the table.
Sushma Swaraj rises to make a statement on treatment of Kulbhushan Jadhav's wife and mother by Pakistan.
Representative Members from various parties register their condemnation of the treatment meted out to Kulbhushan Jadhav's family. Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu is in the Chair.
"The entire House appreciates the steps taken by the government in the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav," says the Chairman. He also asks the government to safely secure the release of Kulbhushan Jadhav.
Bhupendra Yadav of the BJP raises a point of order asking the Chair to give a privilege notice to an Opposition MP. "No Member should take the name of person who is not present in the House, who cannot defend himself in the House," says the Chair. He says that the House has come back to normalcy thanks to the initiative taken by the Leader of the House, the Leader of Opposition and other Members. "Let us continue this good tradition," Mr. Naidu says.
LoP Ghulam Nabi Azad asks the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs to give a response to Anantkumar Hegde's comments on secularism.Vijay Goel, the MoS says that Mr. Hegde has apologised to the Lok Sabha, as well as outside Parliament.
Chair says that the Parliamentary Affairs Minister stood up yesterday and said "rightly" that the government does not subscribe to Mr. Hegde's comments. Opposition MPs continuously interrupting him.
House is adjourned till noon.
Question Hour begins.
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan is in the Chair.
A question on flights to international destinations is being answered now. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, the Civil Aviation Minister says he is open to any suggestion to make Air India "vibrant."
The next question is on illegal mining. N.K. Premachandran of the RSP says a lot of illegal mining is happening in his constituency, Kollam. He says there is collusion between the mining mafia and concerned authorities.
Sushma Swaraj speaks on Jadhav issue
"A meeting of a mother with her son and a wife with her husband was turned into a propaganda tool by Pakistan. Not just of his wife, but the bindi and mangalsutra of his mother were also removed."
Lok Sabha | 11.00 a.m.
Anantkumar Hegde apologises
"I deeply respect the Constitution, the Parliament & Baba Saheb Ambedkar. The Constitution is supreme for me, there can be no question on it, as a citizen I can never go against it," Anantkumar Hegde says in Lok Sabha.
