5 months ago
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GUWAHATI
The Assam Assembly connected Thursday (November 27, 2025) passed the Assam Prohibition of Polygamy Bill, 2025, aimed astatine penalising those who participate into a 2nd matrimony without legally dissolving the first. The projected authorities was tabled successful the 126-member House connected November 25.
“We volition reserve the Bill for the assent of President Droupadi Murmu. I bash not deliberation the Bill volition beryllium denied approval, arsenic the President is simply a woman,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, pointing retired that the Bill intends to support women and compensate victims of polygamy.
During the treatment connected the Bill, helium said the wide content that Islam inherently promotes polygamy was factually incorrect. Citing spiritual accounts, helium said that Prophet Muhammad regulated the signifier of aggregate marriages and constricted it to a antheral keeping 4 wives nether strict conditions.
“His enactment of reasoning was not to beforehand polygamy but to curb excesses,” the Chief Minister said, insisting that nether Islamic law, a antheral cannot instrumentality a 2nd woman without the explicit consent of the first.
“Minus the consent, a 2nd matrimony is not legally valid successful Islam,” helium told the House.
He referred to respective Muslim-majority countries that person restricted oregon banned polygamy.
The Chief Minister further said the adjacent measurement would beryllium to present a Bill to instrumentality the Uniform Civil Code successful Assam. “If you cannot halt maine from becoming the Chief Minister again (after the 2026 polls), I volition bring successful the Uniform Civil Code. This is my committedness to the House,” helium said.
The anti-polygamy Bill prescribes punishment of up to 10 years and dense fines for individuals who conceal a erstwhile matrimony earlier marrying for the 2nd time. Repeat offenders volition look treble the punishment.
The Bill proposes up to 2 years successful jailhouse and a good of up to ₹1 lakh for those who fell accusation astir polygamous marriages from the police. Clerics oregon Qazis who solemnise specified marriages whitethorn besides look up to 2 years successful situation and a good of up to ₹1.5 lakh.
The projected law, however, volition not use to the Sixth Schedule areas of Assam. These are the Bodoland Territorial Region and areas governed by the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council and the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council. Scheduled Tribes recognised nether Article 342 person besides been excluded from the purview of the Bill.
The Chief Minister hoped that the autonomous regions would present akin authorities to prohibition polygamy wrong their respective jurisdiction. The customary laws of immoderate tribes let polygamy.
