SHILLONG: The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) is set to introduce landmark legislation to regulate indigenous marriages and live-in relationships, aiming to protect women and address legal gaps surrounding non-Christian unions.
Speaking at a consultation hosted by the Meghalaya State Commission for Women, KHADC Executive Member (Law) Deity Majaw highlighted the absence of a codified legal framework for traditional Khasi marriages and informal cohabitation, leaving women vulnerable in cases of abandonment, remarriage, and maintenance disputes.
While Christian marriages are governed by adapted versions of national laws, there is currently no statutory process for traditional Khasi unions.
The proposed “Khasi Hills Autonomous District Regulation and Registration of Marriages Bill” will require both indigenous marriages and live-in relationships to be formally recorded, empowering local traditional heads (Rangbah Shnong) to handle village-level registrations.
ALSO READ: Social Welfare Dept Submits SOP to Address POCSO-Related Issues, Early Marriages
Majaw emphasized that the new law will help prevent bigamy and polygamy, provide legal recourse for women and children, and formalize protections that are currently lacking.
The initiative follows extensive consultations with council judges and legal experts.
KHADC hopes the new legislation will strengthen awareness and enforcement beyond the largely ineffective Meghalaya Compulsory Registration of Marriage Act, 2012, by anchoring registration at the grassroots level.
(4FrontMedia news)
