An archaic and medieval practice has finally been confined to the dustbin of history! Parliament abolishes Triple… https://t.co/J2zkZWTRW8 — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 1564494753000

Today is a great day for India’s democracy. I congratulate PM @narendramodi ji for fulfilling his commitment and e… https://t.co/LbAb8eteNU — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) 1564494949000

NEW DELHI: In a major success for the Modi government , Parliament on Tuesday approved a bill that makes instant triple talaq among Muslims a criminal offence after the contentious legislation was passed by Rajya Sabha following support from BJD and walkout by NDA allies JD(U) and AIADMK.Lok Sabha had passed the Bill last week and once granted assent by the President, the practice of Muslim men instantly divorcing their wives by uttering 'talaq' thrice will become a criminal offence, punishable by jail term of up to three years.Here's how the landmark bill introduced by Modi government cleared the Rajya Sabha hurdle:The bill was passed with 99 members supporting the legislation and 84 members voting against it in the final division of votes. The Rajya Sabha had earlier rejected an opposition-sponsored motion to send the bill to a Rajya Sabha Select Committee with 100 votes against it as compared to 84 in favour.The ruling NDA has 107 members in the 242-member Rajya Sabha, which is short of the majority mark. However, walkout by allies and several parties abstaining from voting helped ensure smooth passage of the bill.The same strategy had helped the government push through the contentious amendment to the Right To Information (RTI) Act last week despite lacking numbers in the Upper House.While the non-aligned BJD supported the legislation, BJP allies JD(U) and AIADMK staged a walk out, lowering the majority mark which normally stands at 121. JD(U) and AIADMK have 11 and 6 members respectively.The NDA was also strengthened by absentees in the opposition ranks.Nearly 20 opposition MPs, including five each from the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, were not present in Rajya Sabha during voting on the contentious triple talaq bill , sources said.The Congress MPs in the upper house may now have to give an explanation to the party as it had issued a whip to ensure the presence of all its members during voting on the bill.Sources said that the opposition could have managed to get the nod to send the bill to a select committee of the house if its MPs were present in the House.The five Congress MPs who were absent are Vivek Tankha, Pratap Singh Bajwa, Mukut Mithi and Ranjib Biswal, besides Sanjay Sinh, who earlier in the day resigned from the party.Besides, Congress and SP members who were absent, senior NCP leaders Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel and one member each of Trinamool Congress, DMK, IUML and Kerala Congress were also missing during voting in the house.Another prominent member who was not present during the voting was KTS Tulsi, who is a nominated member but was against the bill.Earlier, replying to a four-and-half-hour debate on the bill, law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had cited jail provisions in the legislations that ban dowry and multiple marriages by Hindu men to justify the three-year jail term for Muslim men practices triple talaq.Hailing the passage of the triple talaq bill by Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that a historic wrong done to Muslim women has been corrected and an "archaic and medieval practice" confined to the dustbin of history.Home minister Amit Shah said the legislation will free Muslim women from the "curse of this regressive practice". He also described the passage of the bill by the Rajya Sabha as a great day for India's democracy.Meanwhile, the Congress said there was no need to criminalise the practice, which had already been struck down by the Supreme Court."We had fundamentally supported this bill. We also wanted amendment for the provision of support to Muslim women. Our opposition was on two-three issues. The Supreme Court had struck down triple talaq, you had also struck down down triple talaq through law, then what is the need to criminalise an imaginary thing," senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.