Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Assam introduced a Bill in the State Assembly on Thursday to repeal the Assam Moslem Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935. The primary objective behind this move is to curb the practice of child marriage, which the government believes is facilitated by the existing law.
The Bill outlines several reasons for scrapping the 1935 Act, which was originally adopted for the then Province of Assam to manage Muslim religious and social affairs. The statement of objects and reasons attached to the Bill notes that the Act, being a pre-independence law, is outdated and no longer aligns with modern legal standards.
One of the key issues highlighted is that the registration of marriages and divorces under the 1935 Act is not mandatory, leading to informal registration processes that allow for non-compliance with existing legal norms. The Bill emphasizes that there is room for underage marriages due to the lack of stringent monitoring under the current system, enabling marriages of boys below 21 years and girls below 18 years.
42% of people do not consider the decisions of the Himanta Biswa Sarma government to be anti-Muslim.
Here is the survey:
Q-1 The Assam government has prepared a new draft for changes in Muslim marriage and divorce registration. What aspects do you support?
Q-2 Do you consider the decisions of the Himanta Biswa Sarma government to be anti-Muslim?
Q-3 What is your opinion on the increasing Muslim population in Assam?
Q-4 What is your opinion on the Assam government’s decision to allocate government jobs for USTM (University of Science & Technology Meghalaya) graduates run by the Ajmal Group?