The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, which was listed for consideration and passage on Tuesday, could not be taken up as there was no consensus on the contents of the legislation.

This is despite one round of meeting between the Centre and the leaders of all parties in Rajya Sabha.

The Opposition seems to have conveyed to the Centre that it will push for at least three amendments to the legislation, also known as the triple talaq Bill, related to the provision of jail term for the offenders, if the Bill is not referred to a Select Committee.

The Centre is expected to make a final decision at a meeting of the leaders of all parties convened by Chairman Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday. “The BJP leaders told us that it is not ready to send the Bill to a select committee. We have demanded that the Bill must go to the select committee so that it can be considered carefully. Let’s see if the government changes its mind on Wednesday,” a senior member in the Opposition told BusinessLine.

The government had appealed to the Congress to drop its move to push for amendments to the Bill. The Opposition can pass the amendments as it has majority in the Upper House. The AIADMK and the BJD had also opposed the Clause (4) of the Bill, which according to them, criminalises triple talaq, a form of instant divorce, which otherwise is in the domain of civil jurisdiction.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar told reporters that the Centre wants the Congress to maintain its stand in the Lok Sabha, where it did not press for amendments. “We have told Congress that since they have not pressed for any amendments in the Lok Sabha, they should do the same in the Rajya Sabha,” Kumar said.

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