KATHMANDU: Lawmakers, including Chhakka Bahadur Lama and Bijay Subba, have argued that penalizing the culture of polygamy will be against the prevailing culture, traditions, and ethnic customs.

Speaking at a meeting of the parliamentary State Affairs and Good Governance Committee on Sunday, he urged the concerned to consider ethnic traditions while formulating laws.

They alleged that the Constitution had disregarded the culture of other religions and ethnicities, besides the Hindu. The lawmakers put forth their views when some lawmakers said that the practice of polyandry has to be ended.

Lama queried what would the authorities do if a wife came to acquire citizenship or register her marriage with three husbands while saying that polyandry still exists in Dolpa and Humla districts.

Nepal’s Criminal Code has criminalized the polygamous. However, the practice remains as a custom among some communities in the far-west mountainous districts.