Aizawl, Feb 26, 2026 — The Mizoram Legislative Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed the Mizo Marriage and Inheritance of Property (Amendment) Bill, 2026, changing who falls under the state’s customary law on marriage and inheritance. Under the amendment, Mizo women who marry non-Mizos — and their children and grandchildren — will no longer be governed by the Mizo Marriage and Inheritance of Property Act or by Mizo customary law and will not be eligible to claim Scheduled Tribe (ST) status under that framework.
The Bill was introduced by Chief Minister Lalduhoma, who also holds the Law and Judicial portfolio. Moving the amendment, he told the House that several sections and sub‑sections of the principal Act of 2014 required correction in light of emerging social realities and representations received from various organisations.
Currently, Section 2 of the 2014 Act covers all marriages involving men and women in Mizoram. The amended provision, however, limits the Act’s application to marriages where both parties belong to a Mizo tribe, or where the male partner belongs to a Mizo tribe — effectively excluding cases in which a Mizo woman marries a non‑Mizo.
Lalduhoma said the change means such women and their descendants “would not be regarded as Mizos for the purpose of customary law” and would lose the inheritance protections and ST recognition provided under the existing law.
The Chief Minister said the amendment was drafted after extensive consultations with civil society bodies and statutory institutions, including the Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl, Mizoram State Commission for Women, Young Mizo Association (YMA), Mizoram Upa Pawl and the Mizoram Law Commission.
A YMA central committee leader told the Assembly the change to Section 2 was proposed against the backdrop of a rising number of Mizo women marrying non‑Mizos. He said the provision — by removing customary entitlements for such women and their descendants — may act as a deterrent and serve, in his view, as a safeguard against possible social assimilation of the Mizo community.
The passage of the amendment represents a significant shift in Mizoram’s personal law landscape and is likely to prompt debate across social, legal and constitutional spheres in the coming days.
Original Source: https://assamtribune.com/north-east/new-mizoram-law-limits-customary-rights-for-women-marrying-outsiders-1608731
Category: North East,Featured
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Publish Date: 2026-02-26 10:41:00
