Assam planning to implement of Uniform Civil Code, ban polygamy: CM Sarma

PTC News Desk: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated on Monday that his government intends to enact robust legislation banning polygamy and implementing the uniform civil code (UCC) in the state.

Speaking to journalists in Guwahati on the sidelines of the ongoing budget session of the state assembly, Sarma stated that while the government was planning to introduce legislation banning polygamy, it is now considering aligning the issue with UCC after Uttarakhand passed legislation on it last week.

"The Assam cabinet (on Saturday) discussed both the UCC and the Polygamy Bill. We were following (polygamy-banning legislation), but Uttarakhand has passed the UCC Bill. We are currently working on aligning both (issues) so that we can prepare robust legislation. We are working on that,” Sarma stated.

He stated that an expert committee will investigate possible ways to include polygamy and UCC in the same legislation.

"The UCC (legislation passed by Uttarakhand) prohibits polygamy while making it a civil offence. We considered making polygamy a criminal offence. Because the country requires a uniform policy, we will align these. For that, I will consult with our central leadership about which direction we should take," Sarma said.

"This is a very dicey subject that is used to convert tribal people. We are going to pilot this Bill (banning healing) because we believe the religious status quo is critical," the CM stated.

"Whoever is Muslim, should remain Muslim; whoever is Christian, should remain Christian; and whoever is Hindu, should remain Hindu in order to achieve a proper balance in our state. We want to reduce evangelism in Assam, and this Bill will be a significant step forward," he added.

The Uttarakhand government on Saturday appointed a nine-member committee to prepare a draft of rules for the Uttarakhand Uniform Civil Code Bill 2024, which was passed by the assembly last week.

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