Assam Takes First Step Towards Uniform Civil Code: Sarma Cabinet Approves Bill Barring Qazis From Registering Muslim Marriages

The Assam Cabinet has approved a new bill prohibiting qazis or clerics from registering Muslim marriages within the state.

The bill, titled the Assam Compulsory Registration of Marriage and Divorce Bill, also bans the registration of child marriages.

The bill, which overrides certain aspects of Muslim personal law, will be presented during the upcoming Monsoon session of the Assam Assembly on Friday (23 August).

This move is widely seen as Assam's first stride towards introducing a uniform civil code.

According to the legislation, Muslim marriages will now be registered by a sub-registrar rather than a qazi.

"We have introduced a bill stipulating that no marriage involving individuals under 18 years of age will be registered. Furthermore, the authority for registration will be transferred from the qazi to the sub-registrar," Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced at a press conference, as reported by India Today.

Sarma explained further, "Different communities have diverse cultures for marriage rituals. Our bill has no role in that. It has provisioned the marriage registration only by a government officer. The rest will remain the same whether it is for a Hindu marriage or for a Muslim marriage."

Sarma pointed out that earlier, marriages involving Muslim boys under 21 and girls under 18 years of age could be registered. "Under the new law, this practice will be prohibited. No Muslim minor girl can register their marriage in the state from now on," Sarma asserted.

Traditionally, the oversight of Muslim marriage and divorce procedures has been the domain of qazis or clerics.

Earlier this year, the Assam government nullified the Assam Moslem Marriages and Divorces Registration Act of 1935 via an ordinance.

However, several Muslim organisations in Assam have appealed to the Chief Minister to restore the qazi system.

Sarma also said that the government plans to introduce a new law that would criminalise 'love jihad,' with life imprisonment as the penalty for those convicted.

The term 'love jihad' is used to describe the alleged attempts by Muslim men to convert Hindu women under the guise of love.

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