The Assam government has approved a Bill to prohibit polygamy in the state, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Sunday after a Cabinet meeting held at Lok Sewa Bhawan in Guwahati.
Sarma said the proposed law will make polygamy a punishable offence, carrying a sentence of up to seven years of imprisonment, along with a provision for compensation to the victim woman.
However, the Chief Minister clarified that the Bill will not apply to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) population and will also not be immediately applicable in the six Scheduled Areas of Assam.
“It will apply to everybody except tribals,” Sarma stated.
He also mentioned that certain exemptions will apply in cases involving minority Muslim residents in Scheduled Areas before 2005, who will remain outside the purview of the law.
The Chief Minister further touched upon various ongoing government initiatives, including the scrutiny of arms license applications, which are expected to see the first batch of approvals by February, and measures to regulate land sale permissions across districts.
Highlighting demographic trends, Sarma cited census data from 2001 to 2011, noting that while the growth rate of the Hindu population has declined, the Muslim population has shown an increase across several blocks in Assam.
He also referred to Assam's growing influence in welfare initiatives, stating that schemes like ‘Ladli Behna' in Madhya Pradesh and Bihar drew inspiration from Assam's own social welfare programs.
