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Seven-year jail term: Assam passes landmark bill to outlaw polygamy

by Trans World Features | @twfindia 27 Nov 2025, 05:32 am

Guwahati/IBNS: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Thursday that the state assembly has approved a bill outlawing polygamy, making the practice a criminal offence punishable by up to seven years in prison.

The legislation also includes provisions for compensation to the victim woman.

Under the bill, polygamy is defined as entering into a marriage while already legally married, or when either party has a living spouse from whom they are not legally divorced or whose prior marriage has not been annulled or declared void.

Sarma said the Assam Prohibition of Polygamy Bill, 2025, marks the state’s first major step toward introducing broader reforms aligned with the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), following the model adopted by the Uttarakhand Assembly.