Muslim women’s rights advocates demand criminalisation of polygamy: Petition launched

By Jag Jivan 

An online petition seeking a legal ban on polygamy has been floated by Javed Anand, co-editor of Sabrang and National Convener of Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy (IMSD), inviting endorsements from citizens, organisations and activists. The petition, titled “Indian Muslims & Secular Progressive Citizens Demand a Legal Ban on Polygamy,” urges the Central and State governments, Parliament and political parties to abolish polygamy through statutory reform, backed by extensive data from the 2025 national study conducted by the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA).

Quoting from the petition: “We, the undersigned — Indian Muslims, women’s rights organisations, secular-progressive citizens, academics, activists, students, and allies — issue this collective call for the complete legal abolition of polygamy in India.” Citing findings from BMMA’s study of 2,500 Muslim women who are victims of polygamy across seven states, the petition states: “The 2025 BMMA national study — based on extensive interviews with 2,500 Muslim women who are victims of polygamy, across 7 states — gives irrefutable evidence that polygamy, as practised today, inflicts widespread harm, economic injustice, emotional trauma and social insecurity upon women and children.”

According to the BMMA survey, 85% of Muslim women want polygamy abolished and 87% demand that it be criminalised. The study reveals widespread rights violations: 79% of first wives were never informed about their husband’s second marriage and 88% said their husbands did not seek their consent. Following the second marriage, 54% faced abandonment and 36% received no financial support. The report highlights that 47% of affected women were forced to return to their parental homes due to destitution. The study also notes that 93% demand a complete ban on child marriage, citing a close link between child marriage and unregulated marital practices. The petition argues that these statistics expose “a system of structural injustice, not a religious or cultural obligation,” and that the lived experiences of women demonstrate polygamy’s functioning as exploitation and economic dispossession.

The petition asserts the need for legal equality, arguing that polygamy is banned for all other communities in India and that Muslim women should not be left with fewer protections. Stressing constitutional guarantees under Articles 14, 15 and 21, it states that personal laws cannot override equality, dignity and personal liberty. It calls for a statutory ban under Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita (BNS) 82, which criminalises polygamy with imprisonment of up to seven years. Additional demands include mandatory registration of marriages, guaranteed maintenance, inheritance and housing rights for women and children abandoned under polygamous arrangements, enhanced legal aid, crisis shelters and counselling, and community-led awareness programmes.

“This petition is a declaration that Indian Muslim women deserve the same legal protections as every other woman in this country. It is a call rooted in constitutional morality, women’s rights, and the ethical principles of justice and equality. We stand in solidarity with the thousands of Muslim women whose voices the BMMA 2025 report amplifies,” the statement declares. It appeals to Muslim organisations, ulema, women’s groups, student and workers’ unions, civil society networks, journalists, lawyers, academics and ordinary citizens to endorse the campaign. “The time for justice is now! Sign. Share. Mobilise,” it concludes.

Endorsements are being collected through IMSD, with contacts provided for Javed Anand, National Convener, and Feroze Mithiborwala, National Co-Convener.