Guwahati: The Assam government is preparing to present a Bill in the state assembly this December with the aim of prohibiting polygamy, the practice of marrying multiple spouses. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced this during an all-party meeting in Tinsukia, stating that within the next 45 days, the government would finalize the Bill aimed at banning polygamy in the state.
Sarma explained, "A legal committee was established to assess whether the state government has the authority to outlaw polygamy, and we have received encouraging feedback. We also solicited public opinions and recommendations regarding the proposed polygamy ban Bill. In response to our public notice, we received a total of 149 suggestions. Of these, 146 were in favor of the Bill, supporting the ban on polygamy. However, three suggestions expressed opposition to the ban on polygamy. Our next step is to draft the Bill." "We anticipate completing the Bill within the next 45 days. I believe I will be able to present the Bill in the assembly in December of this year," he added.
Previously, an expert committee was convened to examine the legislative competence of the State Legislature to enact a law to end polygamy in Assam. The committee submitted its report to the Assam Chief Minister on August 6th of this year. Furthermore, Chief Minister Sarma stated, "We will include certain provisions in the bill to combat Love Jihad in the state." Addressing the issue of the withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), the Assam Chief Minister confirmed that the state government is actively considering this matter.
"The decision on whether to withdraw AFSPA or not will have to be made. It is a viewpoint of the state government, and the Union government will have the final say. I will discuss this with the Union government this month, and a concrete decision will be reached towards the end of this month," Mr. Sarma concluded. The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, is a law passed by the Parliament of India that grants special powers to the Indian Armed Forces for maintaining public order in "disturbed areas." Under the Disturbed Areas Act, 1976, once an area is declared as "disturbed," the status quo must be maintained for a minimum of three months.
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