India: Assam scraps Muslim Marriage Act after similar move by Uttarakhand, paving way for Uniform Civil Code

In a step closer to implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), a controversial legal framework aimed at standardising laws across all communities in India, Assam has scraped offMuslim Marriage Act.

This landmark move was taken in a cabinet meeting, details of which emerged late Friday (Feb 23) night.

Providing information onthe removal of the Assam Muslim Marriage & Divorce Registration Act 1935, the state Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote on X,"On 23.22024, the Assam cabinet made a significant decision to repeal the age-old Assam Muslim Marriages & Divorces Registration Act."

He said that this act "contained provisions allowing marriage registration even if the bride and groom had not reached the legal ages of 18 and 21, as required by law."

In his statement, the chief minister noted that the move "marks another significant step towards prohibiting child marriages in Assam."

Assam follows in footsteps of Uttarakhand

This development aligns with Assam's vision for a Uniform Civil Code, following in the footsteps of Uttarakhand, which recently passed the controversial UCC bill 2024.

Three weeks ago the state assembly of Uttarakhand cleared UCC to “govern and regulate the laws related to marriage and divorce, successions, live-in relationships, and matters related thereto.”

While speaking onthe development in Assam, Cabinet Minister Jayanta Mallabarua reportedly indicated that all matters related to Muslim marriages and divorces would now fall under the Special Marriages Act.

Mallabarua said, "The CM had recently stated that we are moving towards Uniform Civil Code (UCC). In this journey, a very important decision has been taken. The Assam Muslim Marriage & Divorce Registration Act 1935, under which 94 Muslim registrars are still functioning, has been repealed today."

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"The cabinet has today ended this Act and now under this act no Muslim marriage or divorce would be registered. Since we have a Special Marriages Act, hence we want all matters settled through that particular Act,"he added.

(With inputs from agencies)