Indian Muslim Women Push for Polygamy Ban, Survey Shows 85% Support Abolition

Indian Muslim Women Push for Polygamy Ban, Survey Shows 85% Support Abolition
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A new study by the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) has renewed calls for a nationwide ban on polygamy after surveying 2,500 Indian Muslim women across seven states.

According to The Times of India, the report found overwhelming opposition to the practice: 85% want polygamy abolished, 87% want it criminalised, and 79% said they were not informed when their husbands took another wife. More than half reported abandonment, while 36% said they received no financial support, forcing many to return to their parental homes.

Polygamy remains rare nationally—about 1–2% across communities—with the highest prevalence among Scheduled Tribes, followed by Christians, Muslims and Hindus, according to NFHS-5 and earlier Law Commission data.

BMMA, which previously petitioned the Supreme Court to outlaw triple talaq, halala and polygamy, says the new findings strengthen its pending plea. Women’s testimonies in the report describe severe emotional, economic and physical hardship linked to secret or forced polygamous marriages.

Following the study’s release, more than 300 activists and public figures signed a petition demanding a complete legal prohibition and broader reforms to Muslim family law.

It should be mentioned that Islam does not prohibit polygamy but strongly stresses the principle of just treatment and benevolence towards wives when a man engages in polygamy.