Assam Cabinet Moves to Abolish Underage Marriage Act

The Assam Cabinet has approved a Bill to repeal the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorce Registration Act of 1935, targeting underage marriages. The Repealing Bill 2024 will be presented in the upcoming monsoon session. The move aims to ensure parity in marriage and divorce registration and curb child marriage in the state.

The Assam Cabinet, in a significant move, approved a Bill to abolish the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorce Registration Act and Rules of 1935, which permitted underage marriages under specific conditions, according to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The newly formulated Repealing Bill 2024 is set to be presented in the forthcoming monsoon session of the Assembly.

Earlier this year, the Assam Cabinet had agreed to repeal the Act, with Thursday's meeting authorising the necessary Repealing Bill. 'We have taken a significant step to ensure justice for our daughters and sisters by putting additional safeguards against child marriage,' Chief Minister Sarma stated on social media platform X, following the Council of Ministers' meeting.

'In today's #AssamCabinet meeting, we decided to repeal the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorce Registration Act and Rules 1935 through the Assam Repealing Bill 2024,' said Sarma. The intended legislation aims to introduce uniformity in the registration of marriage and divorce across the state.