The Assam Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, has approved new rules for the mandatory registration of Muslim marriages across the state.
The Assam Muslim Marriage Registration (Compulsory) Rules, 2026, will establish a uniform procedure for registering Muslim marriages through government appointed officials.
Sarma announced the decision at a press conference after the Cabinet meeting.
“From now on, Muslim marriages will be registered by registrars,” he said.
Sarma said the government could appoint additional officers as registrars if the number of applications increases.
“If the number of applications increases, we will gradually appoint some additional officers as registrars so that people do not face any difficulty in registering their marriages,” he said.
Muslim Marriages To Be Registered By Government Officials
Sarma said the government had earlier decided that kazis would no longer be allowed to register Muslim marriages, but an alternative registration system had not been specified.
The new rules now provide for Muslim couples to register their marriages through government appointed marriage registrars.
The move makes the registration of Muslim marriages a formal process under the state’s registration system.
The rules operationalise the Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriages and Divorces Act, 2024, which replaced the Assam Muslim Marriage and Divorce Registration Act, 1935.
The earlier law provided for voluntary registration, although an amendment made in 2010 made registration compulsory.
New Rules Set Conditions for Registration
The 2024 Act makes the registration of Muslim marriages and divorces with the government compulsory and bars the registration of marriages involving minors.
Under the law, the woman must be at least 18 years old and the man must be at least 21 years old at the time of marriage.
The legislation also shifted the responsibility for registration from licensed Muslim registrars, or kazis, to government registration officials.
Couples applying for registration are required to provide documents establishing their identity, age and residence, along with declarations required under the law.
The framework also provides for public notice and a 30 day period during which objections to a proposed registration can be raised.
It further lays down conditions related to the legal age of marriage, free consent and prohibited relationships.
With the approval of the 2026 rules, the state government has now put in place the procedural framework for implementing the compulsory registration system for Muslim marriages across Assam.
