GUWAHATI: In a bid to end child marriage, the Assam government on Thursday introduced a bill in the Assembly to repeal a British-era law on the registration of Muslim marriages and divorces.The state’s revenue and disaster management minister Jogen Mohan tabled The Assam Repealing Bill, 2024 to abolish The Assam Moslem Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935. In the statement of object and reasons, the minister said the act was adopted by the British-India government for the then Province of Assam for Muslim religious and social arrangements. He said that under the act, the registration of marriages and divorces is not mandatory and the machinery of registration is informal.“There remains a scope of registering marriages of the intended person below 21 years (in case of male) and 18 years (in case of female) and hardly any monitoring (is) made for (the) implementation of this Act throughout the state which attracts and invite huge amount of litigation in the criminal/civil court,” Mohan said.“There is a scope of misuse by both authorized licensee (Muslim marriage registrars) as well as by citizens for underage/minor marriages and forceful arranged marriages without the consent of the parties,” he further stated.Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated on Wednesday that the state government would make government registration of marriage and divorce of Muslims compulsory.He said it would table the Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriage and Divorce Bill, 2024.In February, the Assam cabinet had given its nod to repeal the British-era Act.“This Act contained provisions allowing marriage registration even if the bride and groom had not reached the legal ages of 18 and 21 respectively, as required by law. This move marks another significant step towards prohibiting child marriages in Assam,” Sarma had stated then.
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