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Guwahati, Assam—In a landmark move that goes beyond simply banning the practice of multiple marriages, the Assam Cabinet has approved “The Assam Prohibition of Polygamy Bill, 2025,” which uniquely embeds a provision for financial compensation for women victimized by polygamous unions.
While the primary headline focuses on the criminalization of polygamy with a punitive measure of up to seven years of rigorous imprisonment for offenders, the establishment of a dedicated state fund for victim compensation signals a significant pivot towards socio-economic justice rather than just legal penalty.
The Compensation Mandate: A Safety Net for Victims
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma emphasized that the Bill’s dual approach aims to prevent women from being doubly victimized—first by the exploitative practice of polygamy, and then by financial destitution following the imprisonment of the male offender.
“We have decided to create a fund to give compensation to the victim women. The government will help with financial support in the required cases so that no woman faces hardship in her life,” Sarma stated. “The quantum and criteria for eligibility for the compensation will be decided when rules are framed.”
This provision places Assam’s forthcoming law among the few in India to explicitly link a ban on a social evil with a tangible mechanism for the financial rehabilitation of its female victims. This is seen by legal experts as a progressive step towards recognizing the economic vulnerability created by broken or non-monogamous marital structures.
Navigating Constitutional Exceptions
The Bill, scheduled to be tabled in the Assembly on November 25, 2025, has been carefully drafted to navigate India’s complex constitutional framework regarding personal laws and tribal customs.
- Universal Application: The law will generally apply to all citizens in Assam, overriding customary religious allowances for polygamy.
- Sixth Schedule Exemption: Crucially, the legislation will not apply immediately to the autonomous tribal areas governed under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, such as the Bodoland Territorial Council, Karbi Anglong, and Dima Hasao, respecting the customary laws of the indigenous tribes.
- Legal Precedence: By directly addressing a traditionally faith-based practice through a state law, Assam is following the precedent set by Uttarakhand, which passed a similar law recently.
The move is being seen as part of the state government’s broader agenda of gender-centric social reform, following its previous high-profile crackdown on child marriage. The emphasis on compensation ensures that the legal reform is accompanied by social support, aiming for a holistic shift in marital practices and women’s empowerment across the state.
[Newsroom staff written original, where key claims or facts are used, I’ve referenced the original sources (like The Times of India, Hindustan Times, ANI etc.) transparently.]
