Assam to dismiss government employees practising polygamy, says CM

Assam government employees practising polygamy or the practice of having more than one wife, will be dismissed from their posts, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday.

He also announced that those in a polygamous marriage would not be eligible for benefits under any government welfare scheme.

The Bharatiya Janata Party leader made the announcement at a post-Budget press conference.

This came months after the state Assembly passed the 2025 Assam Prohibition of Polygamy Bill in November.

It proposes up to seven years of imprisonment for persons convicted of polygamy. It also provides for up to ten years of imprisonment for those found guilty of concealing a previous marriage.

It further states that parents, priests or village heads who conceal a polygamous marriage from the police, or “unreasonably” delay informing the authorities, would be held liable for abetting the offence.

At the time the bill was passed, Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi said that it undermines constitutional protections pertaining to freedom of conscience and the freedom to manage religious affairs.

On May 27, the Assembly also passed the Uniform Civil Code bill, seeking to ban polygamy and make the registration of live-in relationships compulsory.

The Uniform Civil Code refers to a common set of laws governing marriage, divorce, succession and adoption for all citizens. Currently, such personal affairs of different religions are based on community-specific laws,...

Read more