Overview
- The Assam Prohibition of Polygamy Bill, 2025 makes polygamy a cognizable offence punishable by up to seven years in prison, rising to ten years if a prior marriage is concealed, with harsher penalties for repeat offences.
- Members of Scheduled Tribes are excluded from the bill’s scope, and areas under the Sixth Schedule are not covered.
- Responsibility extends to abettors such as village heads, qazis, parents and guardians, with separate penalties for knowingly solemnising or facilitating prohibited marriages.
- Police would be empowered to stop suspected polygamous ceremonies before they occur, and the bill asserts limited extraterritorial reach for residents marrying outside Assam and for non-residents with property or state-funded benefits in the state.
- Convicted offenders would face ineligibility for state-funded jobs, welfare schemes and certain local elections, and a mechanism is proposed to compensate affected women.