Assam Cabinet approves compulsory registration rules for Muslim marriages

Guwahati: The Assam Cabinet has approved the "Assam Muslim. Marriage Registration (Compulsory) Rules, 2026 to establish a uniform procedural framework for compulsory registration across Assam.

The Assam government in 2024 tabled Assam compulsory Registration of Muslim marriages and Divorces bill 2024 to provide for compulsory registration of Muslim marriages and divorces in Assam and to protect the rights of married Muslim women and men.

The Assam government earlier introduced a bill to repeal a law to register marriages and divorces of Muslims reasoning that it had scope to allow marriages of minors from the community.


The object of the proposal stated the object of the Bill is to provide for compulsory registration of marriages and divorces between parties who are Muslims, within the territory of Assam. It would help in Prevention of child marriages and to ensure the minimum age of marriage for male is at 21 (twenty-one) years and for females is at 18(eighteen) years. Prevention of marriages without the consent of the parties. Check polygamy. Enabling married women to claim their rights to live in the matrimonial house, maintenance etc.

Enabling widows to claim their inheritance rights and other benefits and privileges which they are entitled to after the death of their husband. Determining men from deserting women after marriage. Strengthening the institution of marriages.

Assam Cabinet has approved a one-time exemption for women SHG members to complete their Aadhaar enrolment till 31 March 2027.

Last year the Assam government decided that no new Aadhaar enrolment will be made for people above 18 years from the first week of October this year.

Assam has Aadhaar saturation of 103 percent. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said, “through this move we want to keep a tab on illegal immigrants from Bangladesh from acquiring Aadhaar. In the last one year we have held several illegal immigrants along the Bangladesh border.”

He had said this restriction shall not apply for one year to individuals from Schedule caste, Schedule Tribe, and tea garden communities. “Among these communities Aadhaar enrolment has not reached saturation.”

Sarma had said in at least four districts, the number of Aadhaar cardholders has surpassed the population. "In Barpeta, 103.74% of the population have Aadhaar cards, in Dhubri 103.48%, in Morigaon 101.76%, and in Nagaon about 100.86% have obtained Aadhaar cards. This raises concerns, as it suggests that suspected foreign nationals may have managed to procure the cards."