Assam on Wednesday constituted a five-member committee under the Chairmanship of Advocate General of Assam Devajit Lon Saikia to draft appropriate legislation to ban polygamy and other related issues such as tackling inter-religious marriage by false identity and the role of a Kaji in the matter of child marriage.
“The proposed legislation on polygamy has to be framed by the Assam government. So a committee has been constituted today with myself as the Chairman and a few other members. We have been given 45 days to complete the exercise. So it is a huge daunting task,” Advocate General Devajit Lon Saikia said on Wednesday, speaking to news agency ANI.
“During the course of our deliberations, we have to consider various views by various people at various points of time and also various representations submitted by them,” the Advocate General added.
The other members of the committee include Assam Director General of Police GP Singh, Senior Additional Advocate General Nalin Kohli, Legal Remembrancer and Judicial Department Secretary Ramen Baruah, and Home and Political Department Secretary Biswajit Pegu. Biswajit Pegu who is also the member secretary of the committee.
The Political (A) department of the Assam government on Wednesday issued a notification and constituted the committee.
The committee will submit its draft legislation to the government within 45 days from the notification date.
The committee will take suggestions received into consideration, the committee will go through the three petitions in opposition to the legislation and if necessary the committee will personally hear those who are not in support of the legislation to know their viewpoints; the committee may meet the Chairman of Law Commission in this regard.
The Assam government is likely to introduce a Bill in the state assembly in December to ban polygamy – the practice of marrying more than one person or having multiple spouses at the same time.
