The Assam government has approved the Assam Prohibition of Polygamy Bill, 2025, a law that seeks to make marrying more than one person a criminal offence. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at Lok Sewa Bhawan in Guwahati.

With this Bill, Assam is set to become the first northeastern state to outlaw polygamy. It proposes to make the act of marrying multiple times while a spouse is still alive a punishable offence, with a prison term of up to seven years. But more than the punishment, what the Chief Minister underlined was the intent: to protect women trapped in unfair marital arrangements and send a clear message about the government’s vision for social reform.

“Anybody, after the passing of this Bill, marrying for the second or third

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