On Thursday, the Assam Assembly passed the Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriages and Divorces Bill, 2024, which requires mandatory registration of all Muslim marriages and divorces.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma emphasized that the bill, introduced by Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Jogen Mohan, aims to enhance the welfare of young girls and address issues such as child marriage and polygamy.
The new law bans the registration of child marriages and stipulates that only marriages and divorces conducted under the new legislation will be registered. Existing registrations by Qazis remain valid, with the new law focusing solely on future cases. The legislation also prohibits marriages involving individuals below the legal age (18 for women, 21 for men) and seeks to prevent teenage pregnancies and forced marriages.
The bill aims to ensure that women can claim their rights to maintenance, inheritance, and other benefits, while also curbing practices like polygamy. It replaces the Assam Moslem Marriages and Divorce Registration Act, 1935, and the Assam Repealing Ordinance 2024. Sarma stated that the goal is to modernize the registration process and eliminate the traditional Qazi system.
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