Assam to table compulsory Muslim marriage, divorce registration bill

The Assam government will introduce a bill in the upcoming Autumn Session of assembly for compulsory government registration of marriage and divorce of Muslim people, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

Addressing a press conference after a cabinet meeting in Guwahati, Sarma said the government will table the Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriage and Divorce Bill, 2024 during the upcoming session, which will begin on Thursday.

"Earlier, Muslim marriages were registered by the Kazis. However, this new bill will ensure that all marriages of the community will be registered with the government," he added.

Sarma also claimed that marriages of minors were registered by the Kazis earlier, but the proposed bill will prohibit any such move.

"Now, minor marriage registration will not happen at all. Basically we want to end the menace of child marriage. The marriages will be registered at the sub-registrar's office," he added, citing cabinet decisions.

Sarma said that there will not be any restriction on the rituals followed by Muslims during the wedding ceremonies, but only the registration by the Kazis has been restricted.

The Cabinet last month approved a Bill to abolish the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorce Registration Act and Rules of 1935, which permitted underage marriages under specific conditions.

The Repealing Bill 2024 will be presented during the Autumn Session.

About other cabinet decisions, the chief minister said that the plots of land in tribal belts are protected, but not outside demarcated areas.

"So, now we have decided to create micro tribal belts with SC and ST villages outside the tribal belts. A ministerial committee has been formed to identify the areas," he added.

Sarma also said that the government has decided to add a new chapter to the existing Assam Land Revenue & Regulation Act, 1886 to protect the iconic structures of a minimum of 250 years old and its surrounding areas.

"We propose to protect a five-kilometre area surrounding the structures of religious, cultural and historical importance. As per the new provision, only people living in the area for three generations will be able to sell and buy land," he added.

Sarma said that the government has initially aimed to protect the Satra (Vaishnavite monastery) areas of Batadrava, Barpeta and Majuli, and the list may be expanded later.

In case of Majuli, the entire district will be protected under this new provision, he added.

On the poverty alleviation scheme 'Orunodoi', in which Rs 1,250 is deposited monthly to women's accounts, Sarma said 10,000 new beneficiaries from each of the 126 assembly constituencies will be added to the existing lot of 27 lakh recipients.

"We had distributed survey forms during the Lok Sabha polls and found that 10-12 lakh people are still outside the scheme's coverage. So, we have decided to expand the scheme now. A total of 12.6 lakh new beneficiaries will be added, taking the total reach to more than 42.5 lakh households in the state," he added.

During the presentation of the state budget for 2024-25, Finance Minister Ajanta Neog had said that 2.5 lakh additional beneficiaries would be added to the existing lot of 27 lakh recipients.