The Assam government is all set to introduce the ‘Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriages and Divorces Bill, 2024’ in the upcoming session of the state assembly beginning on August 22. The bill, approved by the state cabinet, makes it mandatory for Muslim marriages and divorces to be registered with the government, instead of with Kazis (Muslim clerics).
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the new law is aimed at combating child marriage and ensuring that all Muslim marriages are registered by the Sub-Registrar of the Assam government. The bill also prohibits registration of marriages of persons below the age of 18 years.
Following are the highlights of the Assam Muslim Marriage and Divorce Registration Bill, 2024:
– Mandatory registration: Muslim marriages and divorces must be registered with the Assam government, not with the Kazis (Muslim clerics).
– Registration is not permitted for minors under 18 years of age: Prohibits marriage registration for persons under 18 years of age.
– Registration Authority: The Sub-Registrar of the Government of Assam will be responsible for registering Muslim marriages.
– Fight against child marriage: The main objective of the bill is to combat child marriage.
– Protected areas
- A 5km radius area around heritage structures (e.g. ancient temples or Namghars) will be declared protected, restricting land transactions to families residing there for more than 3 generations.
- Land transactions within these areas are restricted to families that have resided there for three generations or more.
- Includes the entire Majuli district.
The government is also planning to introduce a new law requiring mandatory security clearance for opening universities in the state. This move comes after suspicious activities were detected among some institutions in Kerala trying to open universities in Muslim-majority areas of Assam.
“Previous policies under Congress allowed easy establishment of educational institutions without proper security checks,” Sarma said. “Our new law will ensure that nursing, medical and dental colleges undergo thorough security checks before they can open.”
The Prime Minister criticised the previous administration for its lax norms and stressed the need for strict background checks to ensure the safety and integrity of educational institutions in Assam. The new provision on security clearance is expected to be implemented within the next two to three months.
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