NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian lawmakers have approved a bill to end the Muslim practice of instant divorce two years after the Supreme Court ruled that it violated the constitutional rights of Muslim women.
Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad says the bill’s approval by the upper house of Parliament on Tuesday reflects the empowerment of women and India’s changing profile.
The more powerful lower house approved the bill last week. It will become law after India’s president approves it, which is a formality.
Most of the 170 million Muslims in India are Sunnis governed by the Muslim Personal Law for family matters. The law has included allowing Muslim men to divorce their wives by saying “Talaq,” the Arabic word for divorce, three times.
More than 20 countries, including neighboring Pakistan, have banned the practice.
