Assam to table bill to end polygamy within this fiscal year: Himanta Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that his government will try to table the bill in the Budget Session of the Assembly in 2023

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said that the state government would introduce a bill to end polygamy within this financial year.

Sarma's remarks came just hours after an expert committee submitted its report on the state's competence to frame laws on the matter.

"The report unanimously said the state government has the right to frame laws on polygamy. The state government is competent to enact such a law," the chief minister was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Polygamy, the practice of having more than one wife, is permitted under Muslim personal laws. The practice was banned among Hindus in the 1950s through the Hindu Code Bill, which also regulates aspects such as inheritance, adoption, marriage and divorce. This law is often used as a rationale by the Hindutva bodies to institute a Uniform Civil Code.

A Uniform Civil Code (UCC) has long been on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s agenda, and several states ruled by the party have been advancing towards introducing a common set of personal laws for people from all religions.

The matter gained traction after the Law Commission in June solicited inputs from individuals and religious groups. A few weeks later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for the country to adopt a Uniform Civil Code in the country.

In May, the Assam government had formed a four-member committee to examine the move's legality. The committee was chaired by retired Gauhati High Court judge Justice Rumi Phukan and had Assam Advocate General Debajit Saikia, Additional Advocate General Nalin Kohli and Gauhati High Court advocate Nekibur Zaman as its members.

On Monday, Sarma said his government would try to table the bill in the Budget Session of the Assembly in 2023.

"We will need to give time to MLAs to discuss and debate the issue. But, surely, the law will come into effect within the existing financial year," Sarma said.