Guwahati: The Assam government has announced the repeal of an 89-year-old legislation, Assam Muslim Marriage and Divorce Registration Act of 1935. This decision was made during a state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The move comes after Uttarakhand passed the Uniform Civil Code legislation, making it the first state to do so. The repeal of the 1935 Act marks a major step towards implementing a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Assam.
Transition to Special Marriages Act Going forward, all matters related to Muslim marriages and divorces in Assam will be governed by the Special Marriages Act. District Commissioner and District Registrar will now oversee the registration of Muslim marriages and divorces under the new legal framework.
Cabinet Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah referred to it as a major step toward a Uniform Civil Code (UCC).
“The District Commissioner and the District Registrar will now be in charge of registering Muslim marriages and divorces under the new structure. The 94 Muslim registrars who were employed under the revoked Act will also be released from their positions and given a lump sum payment of Rs 2 lakh,” he told reporters.
Mallabarua also emphasized the decision’s wider ramifications, especially in light of the state’s efforts to prohibit child marriage. He pointed out that juvenile marriages had been made easier by the antiquated 1935 Act, which was a holdover from the British Empire.
“The administration intends to address the issue of child marriage, which is defined as the union of individuals under the ages of 18 for women and 21 for men, by repealing this Act,” the minister added.
On February 12, CM Sarma stated that his government is planning to bring robust legislation banning polygamy and implementing of uniform civil code (UCC) in the state.
“We were following (legislation to ban) polygamy, but Uttarakhand has passed the UCC (Bill). We are now working on aligning both (issues) so that we can prepare robust legislation. We are working on that,” Sarma had said.
He had mentioned that an expert committee would see how to align both polygamy and UCC in the same legislation.
