Chief Minister pats Michael Syiem
SHILLONG: A day after the Mait Shaprang Movement (MSM) convenor Michael Syiem threatened to launch an indefinite hunger strike to protest against the State government’s delay in implementation of the marriage Act, the State Cabinet on Tuesday approved the amendments of the Meghalaya Compulsory Registration of Marriage Act, 2012 and its rules for introduction in the forthcoming Assembly session slated for next week.
“We have approved the proposed amendments of the Meghalaya Compulsory Registration of Marriage Act 2012 and amendment and also the Meghalaya Compulsory Registration of Marriage Rules 2015,” Chief Minister Mukul Sangma told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.
“The same will be introduced in the House during the upcoming budget session,” he said.
According to the Chief Minister, the rules of the Act would be subsequently notified post assent of the proposed amendment of the Act by the Governor.
Stating that there are certain minor amendments that were proposed by the department concerned, he said that these amendments related to certain things on the nomenclature of the principal Act.
The Act envisages compulsory registration of all marriages between people belonging to any caste, tribe or religion contracted as per the customs, practices or traditions in the state.
The Chief Minister, however, denied that the amendments have come in view of the proposed indefinite hunger strike called by the Mait Shaprang Movement saying that the item was placed in the agenda for Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting before the announcement of the strike.
Sangma appreciated Syiem for following the issue for a very long time.
