Assam Mandates Government Permission for Second Marriages, Regardless of Religious Allowance

Assam government employees are prohibited from marrying for a second time if their spouse is still alive, regardless of their personal religious laws, without obtaining permission from the state government. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma clarified that even if one’s religion allows for bigamy, government employees must seek the government’s approval before entering into a second marriage. This directive was issued through an official memo on October 20.

The memo states, “No Government servant who has a wife living shall contract another marriage without first obtaining the permission of the Government, notwithstanding that such subsequent marriage is permissible under the personal law for the time being applicable to him.” Similarly, female government employees are also required to obtain government permission if their husband is still alive before entering into a second marriage.

Earlier this year, Chief Minister Sarma expressed the government’s intention to ban polygamy in the state. He stated that they aimed to introduce a bill for this purpose in the next Assembly session in September. In August, the government sought public opinion on the proposed law to end polygamy. An expert committee was formed to assess the legislative competence of the Assembly to enact such a law, and the committee’s report confirmed that the state legislature has the authority to enforce a ban on polygamy.