By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The State Assembly on Friday passed the Meghalaya Compulsory Registration of Marriage Bill, 2012 without any debate.
The proposed Bill will include compulsory registration of all marriages between people belonging to any caste, tribe or religion contracted as per the customs, practices or traditions. It would also include registration of re-marriages and live-in relationships.
The only objection to the Bill was raised by NCP legislator John Manner Marak who lamented that the Bill was circulated only two days back.
UDP legislator Ardent M Basaiawmoit, who had been raising the issue for the last three years in the Assembly, had said in the past that there was a rise in child marriages and broken families in the State in the absence of any compulsory marriage registration. According to Basaiawmoit, most of the marriages in the State were not legal since people were still following traditional methods of marriage.
He said a majority of people chose not to solemnize or marry under the provisions of different personal laws like the Indian Christian Marriage Act, the Hindu Marriage Act, the Muslim Marriage Act and the Special Marriage Act.
Basaiawmoit also pointed out that co-habitation, which has no legal sanction in the court of law, was a common practice among the indigenous population in the State.
He reminded the House that recently the Supreme Court, moved by the plight of women fighting for their rights under wedlock, had ruled that all marriages should be registered in order to prevent child marriages, bigamy or polygamy, to help women to exercise their right to maintenance from husband and custody of children and to enable widows to claim inheritance.
City based NGO Mait Shaphrang Movement has also been pursuing the compulsory registration of marriage in the State for many years.
University Bills
The House passed amendments to two University Bills related to Rajitlal University and International Open University to facilitate the Meghalaya Governor to be the Visitor of these universities.
The Assembly also passed the Meghalaya Police (Amendment Bill) which relaxes the educational qualification for the post of constables in the armed branch of the Meghalaya police to Class 9.
