GUWAHATI: The proposed ban on the practice of polygamy in Assam is not aimed at any particular community.
This was stated by Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday (May 11).
The Assam chief minister made this statement while responding to the remarks by All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badaruddin Ajmal.
Ajmal had accused Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma of selectively targeting the Muslims and interfering with religious practices.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma also said that ban on practice of polygamy in Assam will be imposed before 2024.
He added that the “formation of a committee to have a detailed study on implementing the ban on polygamy in the state is under process”.
Earlier, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said: “We (Assam government) want to end polygamy in the state.”
Also read: ‘None can have multiple wives’: Assam eyes ban on polygamy, to form experts’ committee
“It doesn’t matter, whether a man is a Hindu or a Muslim, none can have multiple wives,” Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said.
“The Assam government has decided to constitute a committee to scrutinise the provisions of Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937 along with Article 25 of the Constitution of India,” Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma had said.
CM Himanta Biswa Sarma further stated that the Assam government intends to declare polygamy as unconstitutional and illegal through a state act, “for which we will constitute a committee, which will deliberate will legal luminaries, Islamic scholars and other scholars and submit its recommendations to the Assam government”.
The experts’ committee will “examine whether the state legislature is empowered to prohibit polygamy” in Assam.
The committee will engage in extensive discussions with all stakeholders, including legal experts, to arrive at a well-informed decision, said Assam CM.