The Assam Cabinet has approved the Muslim Marriage Registration Bill, 2024, which mandates that the government will now be responsible for registering Muslim marriages instead of the Qazi. Additionally, the Bill proposes that the registration of child marriages will be deemed illegal. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the approval, emphasizing the state’s commitment to combating child marriage.
The Bill, formally titled the Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriage and Divorce Bill, 2024, is slated to be tabled in the legislative assembly during its upcoming session starting Thursday. Sarma clarified that while traditional wedding rituals for Muslims will remain unaffected, the authority of qazis to register marriages is being revoked.
Last month, the Assam Cabinet moved to abolish the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorce Registration Act and Rules of 1935, which allowed underage marriages under specific conditions. The new Repealing Bill 2024 is set to be presented during the Autumn Session.
In a related development, the Assam government is also preparing to introduce a law mandating life imprisonment for those convicted of “love jihad,” a term used to describe forced conversions through deceitful romantic relationships. This initiative follows the recent passage of an amendment in Uttar Pradesh that increases the penalty for such offences to life imprisonment. Sarma, reiterating his commitment to addressing this issue, stated, “We spoke about love jihad during the elections. It is a real and serious issue, involving forced conversions and deceitful romantic relationships. In the next few days, we aim to take steps to make this punishable with a life sentence.”
The Assam government’s decisive actions reflect its ongoing efforts to modernize marriage laws and protect vulnerable individuals from exploitation and forced marriages.
