To make triple talaq a criminal offence, Govt considers to change Shah Bano law

New Delhi: To make triple talaq a crime, the government is considering to make change in The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986 also known as the Shah Bano Act.

According to a report by The Indian Express, officials said that making changes to the act was one of the options, discussed at a meeting last week. However, a final decision will be taken by Group of Ministers (GoM) to make triple talaq a criminal offence.

Apart from drafting a ‘new preamble’ for the act, the government is considering to make changes to Section 125 Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc) (order for maintenance of making wives, children and parents) in order to provide safety for women who are abandoned via triple talaq.

The meeting was headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj suggested changes to the Act while Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad suggested altering provisions of the CrPc and Indian Penal Code (IPC).