Triple talaq bill to be tabled in Rajya Sabha today

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2017 -- or the triple talaq bill -- will be tabled in the Rajya Sabha today.

The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha last Thursday but various opposition parties, including those friendly to the ruling BJP, have raised objections to it. 

The opposition parties say the bill, while supporting it in large part, should be referred to a select committee so as to be able to further understand any lacunae in it. 

The parties say the bill turns a civil issue into a criminal one by recommending a jail term extending up to three years for people who continue to use the practice. 

The practice of triple talaq, which allows a man to divorce his wife by saying the word "talaq" (divorce) three times, was recently struck down as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. 

The BJP however has so far been hopeful that the bill will be passed. 

Also read: Triple talaq petitioner Ishrat Jahan joins BJP, says will work in women's wing

"I have complete conviction that Congress will support the Bill the same way it did in Lok Sabha, or else the minority women will not spare them," Union Minister Giriraj Singh told ANI on Monday.

Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar echoed the same conviction.

"I believe all our office-bearers will talk to all parties, and all parties will understand the problem faced by our aggrieved sisters. This bill, I believe, will be passed in the Rajya Sabha," he said. 

The BJP has issued a three-line whip to its MPs to be present in Parliament to ensure passage of the bill. 

Commentators say noisy scenes are expected in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.