GUWAHATI A panel tasked with assessing the legislative competence of the State legislature to end polygamy, submitted its report to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday.
Announcing the development on social media platforms, the Chief Minister said the move was aimed at creating a positive ecosystem for women’s empowerment, irrespective of caste, creed, or religion.
The expert committee is headed by retired judge Rumi Kumari Phukan. Its members are Devajit Saikia, advocate general of Assam; Nalin Kohli, senior additional advocate general of Assam; and Nekibur Zaman, senior advocate of the Gauhati High Court.
Ban on polygamy is a component of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) that the Centre has been trying to push through.
‘Only through consensus’
“While the UCC involves the Law Commission apart from the Parliamentary Committee, we want to take one of its segments – polygamy – and ban it immediately. We are planning to introduce a Bill to ban it in the next Assembly session in September,” Dr. Sarma said on July 13.
He also said the ban on polygamy would be achieved through consensus, avoiding aggressive measures and instead promoting a harmonious societal transformation.
