82% drop in Triple Talaq cases: Minority Affairs Ministry

Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Wednesday said around 82% decline in triple talaq has taken place since it was implemented and termed August 1, when the legislation came into being as, "Muslim women's rights day".

The union minister through a ministry release informed August 1 is the day which made Muslim women free from social evil of Triple Talaq; August 1 has been recorded in the country's history as "Muslim Women Rights Day".

Triple Talaq or Talaq-a-Biddat was neither Islamic nor legal. Despite the fact, the social evil of Triple Talaq was given "political patronage" by "Merchants of Votes", the ministry asserted.

The minister further stressed, the Modi Government's efforts aimed at development of all sections have ensured welfare of Muslim women equally. During the last about 6 years, 3 crore 87 lakh Minority students have been given various scholarships which include about 60 per cent girl students.  "A large number of Muslim women have been provided employment and employment opportunities through "Hunar Haat". More than 10 lakh Minority youths have been provided employment and employment opportunities through skill development schemes such as "Seekho aur Kamao", "Garib Nawaz Swarojgar Yojna", "Usttad", "Nai Manzil", "Nai Roushni" etc and more than 50 per cent beneficiaries are women".

A total of 3040 women have performed Haj after the Modi Government ensured Muslim women can perform Haj without "Mehram" (male companion) in 2018. This year too, more than 2300 women had applied to perform Haj without Mehram. These women will be allowed to go to Haj 2021 on the basis of their application for Haj 2020 only. Besides, women who file new application, will also be allowed to go to Haj next year.

The minister also criticized the Congress government in this connection and said, "The law against the social evil of Triple Talaq could have been passed in 1986 when the Hon'ble Supreme Court had given historic judgment in the Shahbano case. The Congress had an absolute majority in Parliament with more than 400 out of 545 Lok Sabha Members and more than 159 out of 245 Members in the Rajya Sabha. But the then Rajiv Gandhi Government used its strength in the Parliament to make the Supreme Court judgment ineffective and deprive the Muslim women of their constitutional and fundamental rights".