Assam Cabinet approves rules for compulsory Muslim marriage registration

The Assam Cabinet has approved rules to operationalise a framework for the compulsory registration of Muslim marriages, The Hindu reports. The rules implement provisions contained in a 2024 law that replaced earlier colonial-era legislation governing the matter. Their approval provides the operating framework for the registration system established by that law.

Under the new framework, marriage-age requirements are set out in law. The rules also replace licensed qazis with government registrars, changing the officials responsible for recording Muslim marriages under the system. The supplied material does not provide the precise age thresholds, the procedure for applying for registration or the date on which the rules will take effect.

It also does not state how existing marriages will be treated. The Cabinet decision therefore concerns the implementation of a registration framework already stipulated by the 2024 legislation. The principal changes identified are compulsory registration, statutory age requirements and the transfer of registration duties from licensed qazis to government registrars.