Assam govt tables bill to abolish Muslim marriages, divorce act
Guwahati (PTI): The Assam government on Thursday introduced a bill to repeal a law to register marriages and divorces of Muslims, stating that it had scope to allow marriages of minors from the community.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Jogen Mohan tabled The Assam Repealing Bill, 2024 in the Assembly to abolish The Assam Moslem Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935 and the Assam Repealing Ordinance 2024.
"There remains a scope of registering marriages of intended person below 21 years (in case of male) and 18 years (in case of female)," he said in the Statement of Object and Reasons of the Repealing Bill.
It hardly had any provisions for monitoring the implementation of the Act throughout the state and it attracted huge amounts of litigation in the court, he added.
"There is a scope of misuse by both authorised licensee (Muslim marriage Registrars) as well as by citizens for underage/minor marriages and forcefully arranged marriages without the consent of the parties," Mohan said.
Besides, the registration of marriages and divorces were not mandatory, and the registration mechanism was informal that left a lot of scope for non-compliance of the norms, he added.
"It is a pre-independence Act adopted by British India Government for the then Province of Assam for Muslim religious and social arrangements," the minister said.
On Wednesday, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the Assam government will introduce a bill in the ongoing Autumn Session for compulsory government registration of marriage and divorce of Muslim people.
Addressing a press conference after a cabinet meeting here, Sarma said the government will table the Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriage and Divorce Bill, 2024.
Last month, the Cabinet had approved the Repealing Bill to abolish the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorce Registration Act and Rules of 1935, which permitted underage marriages under specific conditions.
The Assam Cabinet had approved the decision to repeal the Act on February 23, in a bid to end the social menace of child marriage in the state.
The opposition parties had decried the decision, terming it 'discriminatory against the Muslims' brought in to polarise the voters in an election year.
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Man thrown 50 ft into air as powerful storm lashes UP's Bareilly
Bareilly (PTI): In a shocking incident, a man was flung nearly 50 ft into the air along with a tin roof and thrown into a field during a powerful storm in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district, where the adverse weather claimed at least four lives.
The man in the video, Nanhe Mian of Bamiyana village, suffered multiple injuries in the incident that occurred on Wednesday.
In a video of the incident doing the rounds on social media, the man is seen being launched into the air while he is holding onto the tin roof. He then lets go, does a somersault in the air and lands in the adjacent field.
Initially, some social media users expressed disbelief over the video and suspected that it was generated using artificial intelligence. But for Nanhe, an e-rickshaw driver, it is all too real.
Nanhe, around 50 years old, said on Thursday that he had gone to a wedding hall to collect some items when the storm intensified.
"The wind was so strong that the tin shed started making loud noises. I thought if I did not hold onto it, it would be blown away in the storm. So, I immediately grabbed a rope tied to the shed," he said.
"Then a very strong gust came and lifted both the shed and me into the air. I was carried nearly 50 ft into the air before the storm weakened and I fell to the ground," he said.
Nanhe, who lives with his wife and their five children, said he suffered injuries on his head, back, arms and legs. These include a fractured arm and leg.
Bareilly Police said in a statement that Nahne was standing inside the wedding hall in Bamiyana when strong winds and rain tore the tin roof of the structure.
According to the Uttar Pradesh government, at least 89 people were killed and around 50 injured in storm and rain-related incidents across the state on Wednesday.
Several animals were also killed and houses and shops were damaged in many places.
In Bareilly, four people were killed between 8.30 am and 11.30 pm on Wednesday, nine animals perished and around 30 houses suffered heavy damage, officials said.
Meet Nanhe Miyan of Bareilly, UP.
— Treeni (@treeni) May 13, 2026
During a severe storm at a wedding venue, he was lifted into the air along with a tin shed he was holding onto.
He flew high before crashing to the ground, breaking both arms and legs. Now hospitalised.pic.twitter.com/D616Z5X23L
