Guwahati, 24th February: Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput condemned the Assam cabinet’s decision to revoke the Assam Muslim Marriage and Divorce Registration Act of 1935, branding it as unconstitutional and predicting its eventual dismissal by the Supreme Court.
Accusing Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of engaging in unconstitutional activities to deflect attention from the government’s shortcomings, Rajput remarked, “Assam government and especially (Assam CM) Himanta Biswa Sarma are doing all this unconstitutional work only to hide their failures, which we believe, will get scrapped by the Supreme Court.”
The Assam cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, annulled the Assam Muslim Marriage & Divorce Registration Act 1935 during a meeting held today. Following the decision, cabinet minister Jayanta Mallabarua, addressing the media, portrayed it as a stride towards the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). He declared that all affairs related to Muslim marriages and divorces would now be administered under the Special Marriages Act.
Mallabarua emphasized the government’s commitment to advancing towards a UCC and characterized the repeal as a significant move in this direction. Moreover, he disclosed that the responsibility for registering Muslim marriages and divorces would shift to the District Commissioner and the District Registrar. Additionally, he announced the discharge of the 94 Muslim registrars, who operated under the Act, with a one-time compensation of Rs 2 lakh for each individual.