Govt approval mandatory for second marriage in this state; check details
PTC Web Desk: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has made it clear that state government employees in Assam are not allowed to enter into a second marriage without government approval. He emphasised that this rule is part of the state's service regulations, and it applies to all government employees.
Even if certain religious practices permit multiple marriages, employees must seek permission from the state government, which may grant or deny it. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma cited pension disputes among two wives of deceased employees as a major issue that this rule aims to prevent.
The decision to enforce this rule was announced on October 20 through an order issued by Niraj Verma, Additional Chief Secretary of the personnel department, to all government employees. This move follows the Assam Government's previous announcement in September regarding its intention to introduce legislation in the state Assembly to ban polygamy, the practice of marrying multiple spouses.
The Assam Chief Minister noted that the government had received feedback from 149 individuals on the polygamy Bill, with 146 expressing support for the proposed law. To draft the legislation and address related issues like false identity in inter-religious marriages and the role of Kazis in child marriages, a five-member committee was established under the chairmanship of Devajit Lon Saikia, the Advocate General of Assam.
In a separate operation to combat child marriage, the Assam Police arrested over 800 individuals in a state-wide crackdown on October 3. Chief Minister Sarma highlighted the ongoing efforts to address child marriage issues, noting that the number of arrests might continue to rise.
- ANI
