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Mizoram Passes Marriage Law Overhaul Banning Polygamy, Narrowing Customary Coverage

The measure follows civil-society consultations to align customary rules with national law.

Overview

  • The Assembly unanimously approved the Mizo Marriage and Inheritance of Property (Amendment) Bill, 2026 on February 24 after Chief Minister Lalduhoma introduced it.
  • The amendment institutes a statutory ban on polygamy and bigamy, bringing the state code in line with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
  • Section 2 now limits applicability to marriages where both spouses are Mizo or where the husband belongs to a Mizo tribe.
  • Mizo women who marry non-Mizos, along with their children and grandchildren, are excluded from Mizo customary law and from eligibility to claim Scheduled Tribe status under that framework.
  • Women can claim up to 50% of jointly acquired marital property after divorce or Sum Chhuah, leprosy is removed as a ground for divorce, and the three Autonomous District Councils remain exempt.