Assam government forms expert committee to examine ban on Polygamy

In a move towards banning the practice of polygamy, the Assam government has formed an expert committee comprising legal experts and scholars to examine the legality of the state legislature to prohibit polygamy. The committee is chaired by retired Justice Smt. Rumi Phookan, with Sri Debajit Saikia, Advocate General of Assam, and Sri Nalin Kohli, Additional Advocate General of Assam, as members. Sri Nekibur Zaman, Advocate, is also a member of the committee.

This development comes after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on May 9 that the state government would initiate a move to ban the practice of polygamy through legislative action. The committee will examine the provisions of the Muslim Personal Law under the Shariat Act, 1937, to be read with Article 25 of the Constitution of India incorporating the directive principle of state policy.

The Chief Minister emphasized that the ban would be implemented through consensus rather than aggression. He added that the government would be consulting intellectuals, Islamic scholars, and elders to build consensus on the matter. "This is a consensus-building activity, rather than a provocation," said CM Sarma.