Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Assam is in a rush to bring in a Uniform Civil Code (UCC). As a step towards this, the Assam cabinet has approved the repeal of the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Registration Act. This repeal is a significant move by the Assam government to tackle the issue of child marriages in the state. The law on UCC in Assam is being prepared, taking into account the Uttarakhand model, which became the first state to introduce a law on UCC. However, if the ongoing assembly session ends without passing the bill, there is speculation that the government may bring an ordinance. Previously, the assembly was scheduled to adjourn on February 28. The proposed law on UCC in Assam will not be applicable to tribal people, as announced by the Assam government earlier. Jayanta Malla Baruah, Minister of Assam, stated that the Assam Muslim Marriage & Divorce Registration Act, 1935, will be repealed and no Muslim marriage or divorce will be registered under this Act. Instead, all such matters are to be brought under the Special Marriage Act. District Commissioners and District Registrars will be given the authority to take custody of registration records that are currently held by 94 Muslim Marriage Registrars. The Inspector General of Registration, Assam will provide overall supervision, guidance, and control in this process. Once the Act is repealed, Muslim Marriage Registrars will receive a one-time compensation of 2 lakh for rehabilitation. Baruah called the Act an obsolete pre-Independence British law for the then province of Assam. He pointed out that registration of marriages and divorces is not mandatory under the Act and the registration process is informal, leading to non-compliance with existing norms. The Act also allows marriages of individuals below the legal ages of 21 for males and 18 for females, without proper monitoring of implementation. The repeal of the marriage act by the Assam government has raised criticism. Badruddin Ajmal, President of the All India United Democratic Front, expressed his lack of surprise at the repeal and accused the BJP of trying to make this an issue before the elections, along with attacks on mosques, azaan, and madrassas.