GUWAHATI: The Assam government has constituted a four-member experts’ committee, which will submit its report on the proposed ban on polygamy in the state.

The committee formed by the Assam government will be headed by justice (retd) Rumi Phookan.

The panel will also have Assam advocate general Debajit Saikia, additional advocate general Nalin Kohli and advocate Nekibur Zaman as members.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma confirmed the formation of the committee on Thursday (May 11).

“Following my announcement to form an expert committee to examine the legislative competence of state legislature to enact a law to end polygamy, the state government has constituted the committee today,” said Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Also read: ‘None can have multiple wives’: Assam eyes ban on polygamy, to form experts’ committee

“The committee has been given a deadline of 60 days to submit its report,” the Assam CM added.

The experts’ committee will “examine whether the state legislature is empowered to prohibit polygamy” in Assam.

Earlier in the day, CM Sarma had said that a ban on polygamy in Assam will be imposed before 2024.

CM Himanta Biswa Sarma had stated that the “committee will deliberate will legal luminaries, Islamic scholars and other scholars and submit its recommendations to the Assam government”.

Furthermore, the Assam chief minister clarified that the proposed ban on the practice of polygamy in the state is not aimed at any particular community.

Zaheer Akram Bora is a senior copy editor with Northeast Now with over 10 years of experience in the field of journalism. He can be reached at [email protected]