Anti polygamy law to be introduced in the next session of state assembly: Assam CM

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that anti polygamy law will be introduced in the next session of state assembly in September this year.

He said that if the expert committee gives a report, legislation will be introduced in the next session of the Assembly or else it will be introduced in the January session.

The Assam government in May this year announced the constitution of a four-member committee to examine the legislative competence of state legislature to enact a law to end polygamy. The committee has been given a deadline of 60 days to submit its report.


The committee will scrutinize the provisions of The Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Act, 1937, along with Article 25 of the Constitution of India, in relation to the directive principle of state policy for a uniform civil code.

Sarma said that Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will be brought by Parliament. The Law Commission is looking into it. “We are in support of UCC, in Assam, we want to ban polygamy as well. Pending the UCC we want to take out one segment of UCC banning polygamy. However, if UCC comes, we don't have to bring separate legislation for this will be merged in the UCC.If report takes time, then next winter session in January we will bring the legislation.”

Congress is opposing UCC, Sarma said, “If any Congress leader has a daughter, will he or she marry her to someone who already has two wives. They take votes of Muslim women but don't want to give them back anything in return. Even Nabi (the Prophet) didn’t support polygamy.”



The All India United Democratic Front President and MP Badruddin Ajmal termed the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) as Jumla. Ssrma said, “The problem is Ajmal is muslim male and does not understand the pain of Muslim female.”



Ajmal has said that Assam can’t be without Miya. Sarma said, “This is an insult to the Assamese. We should now work amongst ourselves and form our own Super 30 so that we get admission in good colleges as well.”



Bengali speaking Muslims are often referred as Miya Muslims. Muslims comprise 34% of the 3.12 crore population of Assam, of which 4% are indigenous Assamese Muslims and the remaining mostly Bengali-speaking Muslims.