Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ajay Kumar Chaurasiya has said that the government will not bring any law that promotes polygamy.
Receiving a memorandum from the Nepal Women’s Association (NWA), which is affiliated with the Nepali Congress (NC), on Sunday, Chaurasiya clarified that the current government is not in favour of legitimizing polygamy. “The proposed amendment to the Civil Code Act, 2017, is not aimed at legalizing polygamy, but at safeguarding the rights of children born from improper relationships,” he told the NWA delegation. “By ‘improper relationship’, the draft refers to cases where one party misleads the other into a marriage-like relationship that results in pregnancy.”
According to Chaurasiya, the proposed amendment aims to secure the rights of such children in terms of lineage, guardianship and compensation. “There is no mention of polygamy in the draft. If it is perceived that the draft promotes polygamy, we are ready to remove such provisions,” Chaurasiya said.
He added that the amendment seeks to place equal responsibility on men and women, not favour one over the other. “What we believe is, a child should not be denied rights for circumstances they are not responsible for,” he added.
