On Friday (23rd February), the BJP government in Assam decided to repeal the Assam Muslim Marriages & Divorces Registration Act of 1935 and thus undo legal sanction for child marriage among the Muslim community in the State.
The development was confirmed by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday (24th February). In a tweet, he stated, “On 23.22024, the Assam cabinet made a significant decision to repeal the age-old Assam Muslim Marriages & Divorces Registration Act.”
“This act contained provisions allowing marriage registration even if the bride and groom had not reached the legal ages of 18 and 21, as required by law,” he added.
“This move marks another significant step towards prohibiting child marriages in Assam,” Himanta Biswa Sarma concluded. In January this year, he informed that Assam will be the third State in the country to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).
During a press conference, Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “We are waiting for the Uttarakhand Bill on UCC and after it is introduced, Assam will follow it with certain additional clauses.”
“We will go through the Uttarakhand Bill and see if public consultations will be possible within the next two to three months. If, however, certain complications arise, the matter will be discussed with experts and the Bill will be framed accordingly,” he continued.
“Everything depends on Bills passed by Uttarakhand and Gujarat, but Assam will definitely be the third state to bring a bill on the UCC,” the Assam CM stated, adding that the State will stop the menace of child marriage and polygamy.