Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated on Wednesday, 22nd October, that his government would soon bring several “historic” bills. He indicated it would be placed before the next session of the Assam Legislative Assembly, which is most likely to be held in November.
The Chief Minister informed journalists that these new acts will centre around several huge issues. These include bills on ‘love jihad,’ polygamy, and safeguarding the state’s Vaishnavite Satras, as well as a bill to provide land rights to tea garden workers, among others.
Sarma explained that these proposals will be discussed before all the members of the Assembly. He further said that he cannot provide the precise details of all the bills at this point. The drafts first have to be cleared by the state cabinet. When they are cleared and the bills reach the stage of becoming laws, the government will inform the media about all the details.
Regarding the Satra bill, the cabinet has already approved the “Assam Satra Preservation and Development Commission Bill, 2025.” This decision was made at a meeting on October 16. Satras are Vaishnavite monasteries that have been important centres for religious and cultural life in Assam since the 16th century.
The new bill will create a statutory commission with quasi-judicial powers to protect these institutions. The Chief Minister said this commission will “secure Satra lands from encroachment and disputes” and “promote sustainable economic growth through heritage tourism and Satriya arts.” He also added that it will “safeguard Vaishnavite heritage through a digital repository for lands, artefacts, and manuscripts.”
The commission will be led by a retired High Court Judge, and will also include the Director of Land Reforms, two representatives from the Satra institutions, and a retired senior civil servant with experience in land administration.
This move comes after Sarma has repeatedly appealed for fresh legislation to prevent activities such as ‘love jihad’ and polygamy. He has described these as social issues. The term ‘Love jihad’ is used by some right-wing forces who claim it is a conspiracy by Muslim men to lure Hindu girls into marriage to convert them to Islam. In August 2024, Sarma had even claimed he wanted a law that could lead to life imprisonment for cases related to love jihad.
He has also been speaking about prohibiting polygamy (the system of having two or more wives or husbands) since 2023. Assam’s administration already has a system in place for its government employees, clarifying that they will take strict action if they remarry while their first wife or husband is alive, unless they obtain official permission. These new bills are part of the administration’s bigger agenda to reform Assam’s personal laws and social customs.
