All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Assam government over the cabinet’s decision to repeal the British-era Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, saying that such a move distances the community from its religious rights and practices.

Read here: Assam assembly passes legislation banning magical healing, opp raises doubts

Speaking to the reporters, the AIMIM leader said that there’s no provision for ‘nikah’ in the special marriage act, which is denying the community its religious right.

“The BJP government in Assam has done away with the Muslim Marriages Act. Earlier, marriages were registered through ‘qazi’ or marriage registrar, and people used to get the marriage certificates, now they have removed that system. There’s no provision for ‘nikah’ in the special marriage act, which is my religious right. They are trying to distance our community from its religious rights and practices,” news agency PTI quoted Owaisi as saying.

The Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935, contained provisions allowing marriage registration even if the bride and groom had not reached the legal ages of 18 and 21, as required by law.

Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma asserted that he would not allow child marriages in Assam as long as he is alive. “Hear me carefully, as long as I am alive, I will not let child marriage take place in Assam. I will not let this happen as long as Himanta Biswa Sarma is alive…I would like to challenge you politically, I will shut down this shop before 2026.,” he said.

Sarma further said that many people were arrested who did child marriage and some of them got imprisonment of 10-15 years. “After the Lok Sabha election, one more drive against child marriage will be conducted in Assam. I will completely end the issue before 2026,” he added.

Further, the state assembly passed Assam Healing (Prevention of Evil) Practices Bill, 2024, which aims to prevent non-scientific healing practices and traditional healing done with ulterior motives. From now, no person can take part in any healing practices including claims of magical healing for treatment of any diseases, any disorder or any condition relating to human health directly or indirectly giving a false impression of treatment to cure diseases, pain or trouble to human health.

The bill makes ‘magical healing’ by any person with sinister motive a cognizable and non-bailable offence, with imprisonment of up to five years and a fine of up to ₹1 lakh.

Read here: Muslim Marriage Act: Assam CM Himanta Sarma says ‘won’t allow child marriage as long as…’

The chief minister also pledged that his government will bring the Uniform Civil Code through the “front door”.

“The UCC is in Uttarakhand now. The UCC deals with four points — preventing underage marriage, banning polygamy, inheritance laws and registration of live-in relationships. The UCC does not deal with traditional rituals or practices,” the CM said.

(With inputs from agencies)