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Assam anti-polygamy bill prescribes seven-year imprisonment for offenders

GUWAHATI: Assam government on Tuesday tabled a new bill banning polygamy in the state Assembly on the first day of the Winter Session. The Assam Prohibition of Polygamy Bill, 2025 prescribed seven years of rigorous imprisonment for offenders, ban on contesting elections and deletion of names from list of beneficiaries of government schemes. The polygamy law will not apply to the Sixth Schedule areas and to the members of any Scheduled Tribe community. When the bill was introduced, some members of Opposition parties were not present as they staged a walkout earlier in the day, after discussing Zubeen Gargs death on an adjournment motion . The bill states that no person shall marry if he has a living spouse; or he is not legally separated from the other spouse following due procedure of law after marriage; or he is a party to a marriage which is not yet dissolved or annulled by a decree of divorce and either has right to appeal or the specified time for appeal has not been expired or is in appeal, or the appeal has been presented but has not yet been dismissed. Whoever during the lifetime of his or her spouse or during subsistence of a valid marriage or without having been lawfully divorced from the spouse, or without having being declared the marriage null and void or dissolved contracts a marriage shall be guilty of an offence punishable with imprisonment upto seven years and fine, the bill says. It further states that anyone found committing the offence by concealing a previous marriage will face imprisonment for 10 years and fine. If the offence is repeated after conviction, the offender will face double punishment. Village chiefs, Quazis, parents or the legal guardians of the contracting party of the polygamous marriage shall if, dishonestly or fraudulently hide and intentionally take part in the performance or solemnization of polygamous marriage, will be punished with imprisonment which may extend to two years and be liable to fine which may be extend upto Rs 1 lakh. The bill says any priest or Quazi, knowingly and willingly solemnising any marriage contrary to the provisions of the law, will be punished upon conviction with an imprisonment for upto two years or with fine upto Rs 1.5 lakh. Additionally, in all such cases, the convicts will not be entitled for any public employment and appointment, funded or aided by Assam government; denied benefits under any scheme funded or aided by the government, will not be able to contest any election in the state for Panchayati Raj Institutions, Urban Local Bodics (Municipalities), and any other such elections. The bill says women, who are victims of polygamy, may approach competent authority to claim compensation.