Opposition Grows Against Repeal of Muslim Marriage and Divorce Acts; Sonai Residents Submit Memorandum to CM

In a significant development, the Muslim community has expressed strong opposition to the state government’s recent decision to abolish the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorce Registration Act and Rules of 1935. On July 18, the state cabinet, led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, decided to repeal the Acts, which have been in effect since 1935. A bill to formalize this repeal is set to be introduced in the upcoming legislative assembly session.

The decision has been met with considerable backlash from the Muslim community. On Tuesday, representatives submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister through the Sonai Circle Officer, urging the government to reconsider its stance. Maulana Nazir Hossain Majumdar, General Secretary of Ahle Sunnat in Cachar district, criticised the abrupt decision, emphasising that it undermines long-standing legal provisions that have historically governed Muslim marriage and divorce.

Community leaders, including Samsul Islam Barbhuiya of the Right Way Foundation, Azizur Rahman, Rabul Hossain Laskar, and Mehboob Alam Laskar, voiced their support for stronger measures against child marriage but vehemently opposed the repeal of the 1935 Muslim Marriage Act. They argue that while reforms against child marriage are necessary, the removal of this historic Act would be detrimental to Muslim community practices and religious sentiments.

A spokesperson from the delegation on Tuesday said, “We urge the government not to repeal the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act as Muslim people all over Assam are right now facing lots of problems in regards to the change in Acts. If this Act is repealed, this won’t be in favour of the Muslim population of Assam”.

The argument put forward by the state government to abolish the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorce Registration Act and Rules of 1935 is to prevent child marriages from taking place. Assam government had launched a state-wide crackdown on child marriage and significant success was achieved in that movement. Regarding child marriages, the delegation said, “We are against child marriage and have always been. We appreciate the government for launching a movement against child marriages in the state and if the government brings any laws against child marriage and makes stringent punishment, we will accept it with open arms and propagate that law”.

Another leader mentioned, “Muslim Personnel Law has been accepted by the constitution of the country and has been widely imposed in all the states, no one has the right to play with out rights or change it. Our Muslim law respects women and empowers them, the government should not abolish the laws”.

The Assam Cabinet on July 18 approved a Bill to abolish the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorce Registration Act and Rules of 1935, which permitted underage marriages under specific conditions, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.