📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Wann Majaw
Politics
Meghalaya to Table Bill Regulating Khasi Marriages
✍️ The Meghalayan Express
🗓 23 Sep 2026, 04:37 PM
👁 11
The Meghalaya legislature plans to introduce a bill that will set legal standards for Khasi marriages, covering age, consent and registration.
The Meghalaya state assembly is preparing to introduce a legislative proposal aimed at regulating marriages within the Khasi community, a tribal group with distinct customary practices.
The draft bill is expected to outline a minimum age for marriage, require explicit consent from both parties, and mandate official registration to ensure legal recognition, thereby aligning customary law with state statutes.
Officials say the move seeks to address concerns over child marriage and unregistered unions while respecting cultural traditions, and the bill is slated for presentation in the upcoming legislative session.
Stakeholders, including community leaders and women's groups, have been consulted, and the government anticipates that the legislation will strengthen protection for individuals entering marriage.
If passed, the law will apply across Meghalaya's Khasi‑dominated districts, marking a significant step in formalising tribal marriage practices.
The draft bill is expected to outline a minimum age for marriage, require explicit consent from both parties, and mandate official registration to ensure legal recognition, thereby aligning customary law with state statutes.
Officials say the move seeks to address concerns over child marriage and unregistered unions while respecting cultural traditions, and the bill is slated for presentation in the upcoming legislative session.
Stakeholders, including community leaders and women's groups, have been consulted, and the government anticipates that the legislation will strengthen protection for individuals entering marriage.
If passed, the law will apply across Meghalaya's Khasi‑dominated districts, marking a significant step in formalising tribal marriage practices.