The Assam Legislative Assembly on Thursday passed the “Assam Prohibition of Polygamy Bill, 2025”. The bill aims to prohibit and eliminate the practices of polygamy and polygamous marriages in the state.
The bill was introduced on the first day of the Winter Session. The bill provisions that people entering into a second marriage without legally obtaining a divorce will have to face a jail term of up to 7 years, and religious clerics who perform the marriage will have to pay a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh.
The bill will be sent for President Droupadi Murmu’s approval, and once she gives consent, it will become a strict law against the practice of polygamy.
Here are the key provisions of the bill:
-A person will face jail for up to 10 years if he conceals his previous marriage while entering into a second one.
-There is a provision of a jail term of up to 7 years if a person enters into a second marriage without legally obtaining a divorce.
-Religious clerics who perform the marriage will have to pay a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh.
-A person who intentionally delays or does not reveal the marriage before authorities may face up to 2 years in prison and a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
The Assam Cabinet had already approved the bill.
“The Assam Prohibition of Polygamy Bill, 2025, further seeks to provide compensation to the victim women as they have to suffer immense pain and hardship due to polygamous marriage. To save the society from the scourge of such practices, this Bill has been framed with the avowed objective to streamline the society,” the Assam Chief Minister had said in a press conference.
