The Assam Assembly on Thursday passed a bill for compulsory government registration of marriages and divorces of Muslim people, replacing a 1935 Act that till now governed these matters in the state.Calling it a “historic day”, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said his government’s next target would be to ban polygamy.
In a social media post on X, the CM said: “This Act will now make it compulsory to register marriages with the government and cannot violate 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 the overall development of our girls.”
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He said: “I thank all the legislators who pledged their support to this bill and the government’s vision to prevent child marriage. This bill is above party politics and is a means to give our girls a life of dignity.”
Revenue and Disaster Management minister Jogen Mohan on Tuesday introduced the Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriages and Divorces Bill, 2024.
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It aims to do away with the Kazi system, where clerics register Muslim marriages. This will now allow all marriages to be registered with the government. Responding to questions, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said all previous registrations of marriages done by Kazis will remain valid and only new marriages will come under the purview of this law.
