Assam government workers are “not entitled” to a second marriage, according to a directive issued by the government. The state government’s approval should be sought if the individual wishes to get married again.
Even if their personal law permits it, Assam government personnel are not permitted to remarry if their spouse is still living without the government’s approval.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that even if their religion permitted bigamy, Assam government employees would still require approval from the state government before entering into a second marriage.
Even in cases where a religious doctrine permits a second marriage, the chief minister emphasized the necessity of obtaining approval from the state government,” he continued, “Instances have arisen where, following the demise of employees, both wives have engaged in disputes over their husband’s pension.
These guidelines were distributed to staff members by the Assam government via an office memo on October 20.
“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,” the decree stated.
Similarly, the order went into effect right away and stated that no woman employed by the government could get married to someone while her spouse is still living without first getting approval from the government.
Mr. Sarma had stated earlier in the year that the Assam administration intended to outlaw polygamy in the state right away. “Our immediate goal is to prohibit polygamy, Mr. Sarma affirmed, “We plan to present the Bill during the forthcoming September session of the Assembly.If for some reason we are unable to do so, we will do it in the January session.”
In August, the Chief Minister also asked the public what they thought of a bill that would outlaw polygamy in the state.
According to the government, the Assam government established an expert committee to investigate the Assembly’s legislative authority to pass a law outlawing polygamy, and the committee’s findings concluded that the state legislature possesses the authority to implement the ban.
A personnel department ‘Office Memorandum’ (OM) stated that “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.” It did not address the divorce requirement.
According to the directive, government employees who remarry while their first spouse is still alive would face severe consequences.
Similarly, no female employee of the state government may wed someone who is married without first obtaining approval from the state government. Niraj Verma, the personnel additional chief secretary, sent out the notification on October 20, but it wasn’t discovered until Thursday.
For More: News
According to our services rule, no Assamese government employee is eligible for a second marriage. But if your faith permits you to get married again, you must apply for permission from the state government,” Sarma stated.
It’s not uncommon for us to observe scenarios where two spouses engage in disputes over pension rights upon the demise of an employee. We struggle mightily to resolve those disagreements. These benefits are currently denied to a large number of widows due to disputed claims. Although we did not enforce it back then, this rule was in place before. We’ll do it now,” he said.
Sarma tweeted the Assam government edict against “Bigamous marriages,” which enumerated a number of rules on the subject, on X, the former Twitter. One individual remarked, “Any government employee with a living spouse must secure official consent before entering into a second marriage, even if such subsequent matrimony conforms to their current personal legal framework.”
The Chief Minister of Assam stated on X that “we are sharing the latest directive from the Assam government to end polygamy among government employees.”