Triple talaq bill which seeks to make the practice of instant triple talaq among Muslim men a penal offence is likely to come up for discussion in Lok Sabha on Thursday.

After the Congress party agreed to participate in the debate, the Lok Sabha had last week on Thursday decided to take up the bill on December 27.

Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the Congress in the House, had suggested it be taken up for discussion next week. After a long weekend, Parliament is meeting on Thursday.

From the Opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar sought an assurance that it would allow discussion on the bill without disruption. The ruling BJP has issued whip to its MPs, asking them to ensure their presence in the House on Thursday. Tomar's deputy Vijay Goel said the government is committed to pass the bill.

Over a range of issues, Lok Sabha has been witnessing disruptions. The Congress party is demanding a joint parliamentary committee probe on the Rafale deal.

To replace an ordinance issued in September, on December 17, a fresh Bill to make the practice of triple talaq among Muslims a penal offence was introduced in Lok Sabha.

The fresh bill will supersede an earlier bill passed in the Lok Sabha and pending in the Rajya Sabha. The earlier bill was approved by the Lower House.

What the proposed law says?

Under the proposed law, giving instant triple talaq will be illegal and void, and will attract a jail term of three years for the husband.

But amid opposition by some parties in the upper house, the government had then cleared some amendments, including introduction of a provision of bail, to make it more acceptable.

However, as the bill continued to face resistance in the Rajya Sabha, the government issued an ordinance in September, incorporating the amendments.

An ordinance has a life of six months. But from the day a session begins, it has to be replaced by a bill which should be passed by Parliament within 42 days (six weeks), else it lapses. The government is at liberty to re-promulgate the ordinance if the bill fails to get through Parliament.

Introducing the bill, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said despite the Supreme Court striking down the practice of talaq-e-biddat (instant triple talaq), terming it unconstitutional, divorces in this form were taking place.

Citing details of instant triple talaq cases, the government had last week informed Lok Sabha that till now 430 incidents of triple talaq have come to the notice of the government through the media.

Of these, 229 were reported before the Supreme Court judgment, while another 201 came to the notice after it. These cases were reported between the period of January 2017 and September 13, 2018.

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(With PTI inputs)