Guwahati, 24th February: All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) MLA Rafiqul Islam reacted strongly to the Assam Government’s decision to repeal the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act. He stated that the government lacks the courage to bring about a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and questioned their authority to repeal or amend a constitutional right.
Reacting to the government’s decision, MLA Rafiqul Islam emphasized, “This Government doesn’t have the courage to bring UCC. They can’t do it. What they brought in Uttarakhand is not UCC either… They were trying to bring UCC to Assam too. But I think they can’t bring it to Assam because there are people from several castes and communities here… BJP followers themselves follow those practices here… Elections are approaching, this is just their tactics to target Muslims. So, they couldn’t bring any Bill on polygamy or UCC in Assam… So, they are repealing the Assam Muslim Marriages & Divorces Registration Act. Assam cabinet doesn’t have the right to repeal or amend a constitutional right…”
In a significant decision, the Assam cabinet repealed the Assam Muslim Marriage & Divorce Registration Act 1935. The decision, chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, was announced by cabinet minister Jayanta Mallabarua as a step towards achieving Uniform Civil Code (UCC). He explained that all matters pertaining to Muslim marriages and divorces would now be handled under the Special Marriages Act.
“The Chief Minister had recently stated that we are moving towards Uniform Civil Code (UCC). In this journey, a very important decision has been taken. The Assam Muslim Marriage & Divorce Registration Act 1935, under which 94 Muslim registrars are still functioning, has been repealed today. The cabinet has today ended this Act and now under this act no Muslim marriage or divorce would be registered. Since we have a Special Marriages Act, hence we want all matters settled through that particular Act,” said Mallabarua.
Additionally, Mallabarua announced that the authority for the issue of registration of Muslim marriages and divorces would now be taken up by the District Commissioner and the District Registrar. Furthermore, the 94 Muslim registrars, who were functioning under the Act, would be discharged from their duties with a one-time compensation of Rs 2 lakh for each person. Through this decision, the cabinet aims to combat child marriage in the state.
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