The lower house of Indian parliament, on Thursday (December 27), passed a bill which criminalised the age-old practice of 'triple talaq' or instant Muslim divorce.
The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2018 was passed by the Lower House with 245 voting in favour and 11 opposing the legislation.
The government rejected the contention that the bill was aimed at targeting a particular community.
"20 Islamic nations have banned triple talaq, then why can't a secular nation like India? I request that this should not be looked through the prism of politics," said Indian Law Minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad, just before the bill was passed.
The Supreme Court in August last year had outlawed the practice that allowed Muslim men to divorce their wives by simply saying the word "talaq", or "divorce" in Arabic, three times.
Kashmiri Muslim women pray inside a shrine Source: AAP
The opposition, who demanded that the bill be referred to a select joint committee, staged a walkout mid session when their demand was rejected by the government.
Opposition member, lawyer, and lawmaker, Asaduddin Owaisi said that bill was being misused and was being used to make women weak and put muslim men behind bars.
Muslims constitute just 14 percent of India's population of 1.3 billion, which is 80 percent Hindu, the latest census data shows, but critics say the BJP's Hindu nationalist agenda has polarised the groups.
