Assam's new Muslim marriage law, BJP faces flak, and SC on bulldozer justice

New Muslim Marriage Law in Assam

The Assam Legislative Assembly has introduced the Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriages and Divorce Bill, which aims to regulate marriages between Muslims and eliminate provisions related to child marriages. The old law, enacted in 1935, was repealed due to its enabling provisions for underage marriages. The new law mandates that both parties must be of a certain age—women must be at least 18 and men 21—prior to registration, which now requires submission to a government sub-registrar instead of relying on Qazis. This significant change shifts the responsibility from religious to governmental oversight and emphasizes the state's commitment to curbing child marriages, reflected by a prior crackdown that resulted in thousands of arrests.