Assam to introduce bill to ban polygamy during Budget session

Guwahati: The Assam government will introduce a bill to end polygamy in the state during the upcoming budget session of the assembly, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday, February 2.

Addressing a press conference here, Sarma said the draft of the bill is being scrutinised by the Law Department at present.

“We are lining up an act to ban polygamy in the state during the budget session of the assembly. It is with the Law Department for vetting,” he said.

Sarma said his government was looking forward to the legislation on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), which will be considered during a special four-day session of the Uttarakhand assembly that is starting from February 5.

“We will also closely monitor the development of Uttarakhand. If the Uttarakhand UCC bill is laid on February 5, then we will see if we are in a position to implement the entire UCC (bill of Uttarakhand),” he added.

The budget session of the Assam assembly will begin on February 5 and conclude on February 28. The budget for next fiscal will be presented on February 12.

The opposition parties had earlier slammed the decision of the government to enact a law on banning polygamy as “diversionary” and “communal”, especially at a time when suggestions on the UCC are being received by the Law Commission.

In July 2023, Sarma had said the Assam government conveyed to the authorities concerned that it was in support of the UCC and wanted to ban polygamy immediately in the state.

In May last year, Sarma had announced the formation of a four-member expert committee headed by Justice (Retd) Rumi Kumari Phukan to scrutinise the provisions of the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Act, 1937 along with Article 25 of the Constitution in relation to the Directive Principles of State Policy for a Uniform Civil Code.

Besides Phukan, the other members of the committee are Advocate General Devajit Saikia, Senior Additional Advocate General Nalin Kohli and senior advocate Nekibur Zaman.

In August last year, the expert committee had submitted its report to the chief minister, who immediately announced that legislation on the subject would be introduced within this financial year.

Sarma had announced the committee unanimously agreed that the state can frame its own laws to end polygamy.

Thereafter, the Assam government sought public opinion on the subject, kickstarting the process of enacting legislation on it.