Assam Govt Decides To Repeal Muslim Marriages And Divorce Registration Act

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday announced that the Assam government, in a Cabinet meeting, has decided to repeal the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorce Registration Act and Rules 1935. Informing about the repealing of the law, CM Himanta, asserted that the step was taken to ensure justice for the Muslim daughters and sisters by putting additional safeguards against child marriage.

Chief Minister Himanta, in a post on X, stated, “We have taken a significant step to ensure justice for our daughters and sisters by putting additional safeguards against child marriage. In the meeting of the Assam Cabinet today we have decided to repeal the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorce Registration Act and Rules 1935 vide the Assam Repealing Bill 2024.”

Bill is Likely to Be Tabled Before Next Monsoon Session

The government informed that to bring parity in the registration of marriage and divorce, the state Cabinet has accorded approval to The Assam Repealing Bill, 2024 which aims to repeal the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935 and Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Rules, 1935.

The Bill will be placed before the next Monsoon session of Assam Legislative Assembly for consideration.

The decision has come a day after Chief Minister Sarma, expressed his concerns about the imbalance growth of demography in the state, claiming that Assam is on the verge of becoming a Muslim-majority state by 2044. 

Assam Likely To Have 50% Muslim Population by 2044: Assam CM

Earlier, on Wednesday, the Assam Chief Minister made a big claim stating that the Muslim population in the state has reached 40 per cent now, which was just 12 per cent in 1951. Raising an alarm he asserted that changing demography is a major issue in the state and if statistical projection is considered then Assam will have more than 50 per cent Muslim population.

Talking to reporters in Jharkhand on Wednesday, he said, "Changing demography is a big issue for me. In Assam, Muslim population has reached 40% today. In 1951, it was 12%. We have lost many districts. This is not a political issue for me. It is a matter of life and death for me."

Matter of Life And Death, Claims Himanta

Later, in an exclusive interview with Republic Media Network's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, Himanta revealed how several districts in Assam have changed from being Hindu-dominated to a Muslim majority. Talking about the changing demography, he termed it a 'matter of life and death’. The Assam CM also explained how migrants from Bangladesh and neighbouring countries were actually driving the sharp rise in population, thereby putting stress on resources.

The chief minister also stressed that apart from Assam, the states like West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar are on the verge of becoming Muslim-majority states. He clearly stated that the way the Muslim population is growing in Assam as compared to the Hindu population, Muslims will amount to 50 per cent of the total population in the state 20 years from now. With this, Assam will become the second state with the highest Muslim population in the country after Jammu and Kashmir.

Emphasizing his concerns, he stated that the imbalance in population growth of a particular section of society is a danger to the other section.

Assam's Dhubri Has 85% Muslim Population

The Assam CM said, “I am chief minister of all citizens of Assam, Hindu and Muslim and that is why, I prefer a balanced growth, so that both Hindu and Muslim can feel secure within the state of Assam.”

“But, if the demography grows in an imbalanced way, then one section of the people will be frustrated, one section of people will lose land, one section of people will lose culture. So, then a chief minister can not be a happy person,” CM Himanta Biswa Sarma asserted claiming that one of the districts of Assam, Dhubri, has an 85 per cent Muslim population now. 

What is Assam Muslim Marriage and Divorce Registration Act, 1935?

The Assam Muslim Marriage and Divorce Registration Act, 1935 is in line with the Muslim Personal Law, enacted in 1935. The Act lays down the process for registration of Muslim marriages and divorces.
An amendment in 2010 replaced the word ‘voluntary’ in the original Act with ‘compulsory’, making registration of Muslim marriages and divorces compulsory in the state of Assam.