Guwahati: The Assam Assembly on Thursday (August 29) passed a bill that mandates the compulsory government registration of marriages and divorces for Muslim people in the state.
The ‘Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriages and Divorces Bill, 2024’ was introduced by state Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Jogen Mohan on Tuesday (August 27).
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Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the new legislation will only apply to future registrations of marriages conducted by “Kazis” (Muslim clerics), while all earlier registrations will remain valid.
The Chief Minister clarified that the government is not interfering with the marriages performed by Islamic rituals under the purview of the Muslim Personnel Law, but the only condition being laid is Islam prohibited marriages will no longer be registered.
He emphasised that with the enactment of the new law, registration of child marriage will be totally prohibited.
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Taking to microblogging site X, CM Sarma called it a historic day in the Assam government’s efforts to curb the menace of child marriages in the state.
“Today is a historic day in our effort to fight the social evil of child marriage. The #AssamLegislativeAssembly has passed the ‘Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriages and Divorces Bill, 2024’. This Act will now make it mandatory to register marriages with the Govt and cannot contravene the legal age of marriage of 18 years for girls and 21 years for boys. It will also act as a strict deterrent against teenage pregnancy and improve overall growth of our girls,” the Chief Minister wrote on X.
CM Sarma reiterated the bill is above “party politics” and is a way to give the girls “a life of dignity.” He said his government’s next aim is to ban polygamy in the state.