National Desk, 27th February: Asaduddin Owaisi, President of AIMIM, expressed concern over the Assam Cabinet’s decision to repeal the Muslim Marriages Act, alleging it aims to detach Muslims from their religious customs and practices.
Owaisi asserted that the longstanding law, in place for 90 years, facilitated Muslim marriages in Assam through qazis or registrars, issuing nikahnama certificates. He emphasized that removing this system deprives Muslims of their religious rites.
He questioned the absence of provisions for nikah in the special marriage act, advocating for weddings to adhere to individual religious traditions. He highlighted the neutral nature of the special marriage act, contrasting it with religious laws.
Owaisi lamented the removal of Mehr, a customary payment to the bride in Muslim marriages, raising concerns about its impact on women. He warned that registering marriages under the special marriage act could lead to the loss of inheritance rights under Muslim personal law.
According to Owaisi, the government’s intention behind repealing the Act is to distance Muslims from their religion and traditions, as he criticized the move during a press conference.
The Assam Cabinet’s decision to repeal the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935, was justified by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma as a measure to combat child marriage.
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