On Thursday, the Assam Assembly passed the ‘Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriages and Divorces Bill, 2024,’ which mandates the registration of all Muslim marriages and divorces in the state. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma explained that the bill is designed to enhance the quality of life for young girls by targeting issues such as child marriage.
Introduced by Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Jogen Mohan, the bill aims to eradicate child marriage by making its registration illegal. The legislation specifies that only marriages conducted in accordance with legal age requirements—18 years for women and 21 years for men—will be recognized.
Sarma clarified that existing marriage registrations by Kazis will remain valid, and the new law will only apply to future registrations. The bill also seeks to address several social issues, including polygamy and the rights of women, by ensuring that all Muslim marriages and divorces are recorded with the government.
The bill will also impact the Kazi system, replacing it with a government-run registration process. This move is intended to prevent teenage pregnancies, protect women’s rights, and facilitate the claiming of inheritance and maintenance rights.
Additionally, the Assembly passed The Assam Repealing Bill, 2024, which repeals The Assam Moslem Marriages and Divorces Registration Act of 1935, marking a shift in how these matters are handled in the state.
