Assam Introduces Bill for Mandatory Muslim Marriage Registration

• 28 Aug 2024

On 27th August 2024, the Assam government introduced the Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriages and Divorces Bill 2024 in the Assembly, aiming to enforce mandatory registration and prevent under-age marriages.

• The bill, introduced by Jogen Mohan, the state's revenue and disaster management minister, seeks to make the registration of Muslim marriages and divorces compulsory and set a minimum marriage age of 21 for men and 18 for women.
• It is designed to prevent child marriages, ensure that marriages are consensual, and address issues related to polygamy.
• The bill also aims to protect the inheritance rights of widows and discourage men from abandoning their spouses after marriage.
• Prior to this, on August 22, the state government proposed repealing the Assam Moslem Marriages and Divorces Registration Act of 1935, which allowed marriages of minors and had non-mandatory registration provisions.
• The 1935 act was criticized for its informal registration process and its allowance for under-age marriages, which the repealing bill sought to address.
• The new bill proposes the appointment of designated marriage registrars and includes legal penalties for issuing false certificates.