GUWAHATI: The Assam government has constituted a four-member expert committee to examine the “legislative competence of the state legislature to enact a law to end polygamy”, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
The committee has been constituted with retired Gauhati High Court judge Justice Rumi Phookan as chairperson, Assam’s Advocate General Debajit Saikia, Additional Advocate General Nalin Kohli (both as Members) and well-known advocate Nekibur Zaman.
Sarma said the committee had been given 60 days to submit its report.
Lok Sabha member Maulana Badruddin Ajmal claimed cases of divorce and polygamy were the lowest among the Muslims.
“Research revealed the cases of divorce and polygamy are the lowest among Muslims. They cannot hide polygamy, for every marriage is required to be solemnized by a Qazi,” Ajmal, who is also the president of All India United Democratic Front, told journalists.
On May 9, Sarma stated that the committee would scrutinise the provisions of the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Act, 1937, along with Article 25 of the Constitution of India, in relation to the directive principle of state policy for a uniform civil code.
Sarma could not share data on the prevalence of polygamy in Assam but he said a lot of cases were detected in southern Assam’s Barak Valley and central Assam’s Jamunamukh and Hojai. Polygamy is almost nil among indigenous Muslims and people who are educated, he said.
The CM noted that polygamy is practised in Assam’s tribal areas by individuals, not communities. Then, there is informal polygamy – the practice of keeping a second wife and having children without entering into marriage. This is worse than polygamy, he said.
“The committee will give suggestions to curb formal polygamy as well as informal polygamy,” he added.