President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bills passed by Gujarat and Assam, making them the second and third states in independent India, after Uttarakhand, to enact comprehensive UCC legislation.
The laws introduce common provisions governing personal matters such as marriage, divorce and succession. Among other measures, they require marriage registration, prohibit polygamy and bigamy, and provide equal inheritance rights to sons and daughters.
The Assam UCC Bill received presidential approval on September 29, while the Gujarat legislation was approved on September 17 and published in the state’s extraordinary gazette on October 1. The respective state governments will now notify the rules required for implementing the codes.
Gujarat UCC exempts Scheduled Tribes
The Gujarat UCC Bill, 2026, was passed by the state assembly on March 24 following an eight-hour debate. The legislation excludes the state’s Scheduled Tribe (ST) population from its provisions.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel introduced the Bill after a committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai submitted its report. Desai had also chaired the committee that drafted Uttarakhand’s UCC.
The Gujarat BJP welcomed the President’s assent, describing the legislation as a step towards greater equality and women’s empowerment. BJP state spokesperson Anil Patel said the code would bring uniformity to matters including marriage, divorce, live-in relationships and succession, which were previously governed by different laws and practices across communities.
The Congress, however, opposed the legislation. Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda said the government should have referred the Bill to a Select Committee and conducted wider consultations before passing it. He also questioned the need for the legislation given the state’s diverse communities, traditions and customs.
Assam passes UCC after assembly debate
Assam’s UCC was passed by the state assembly on May 27 following more than five hours of debate. The Bill was approved through a voice vote amid protests and slogans from members of both the ruling and Opposition benches.
Unlike Uttarakhand and Gujarat, Assam did not constitute an expert committee to draft the legislation. The state’s UCC also excludes Scheduled Tribes, who account for around 12.45% of Assam’s population.
The legislation drew criticism from Opposition leaders, who raised concerns about its impact on religious and personal-law protections. Congress leader Wazed Ali Choudhury argued that imposing a common civil code in a socially and religiously diverse state could lead to tensions.
AIUDF MLA Mazibur Rahman said the legislation could affect protections available under existing personal laws, particularly those followed by Muslims. TMC MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed said he supported provisions concerning triple talaq and child marriage but raised objections to other aspects of the law.
Three states now have UCC legislation
With the presidential assent to the Gujarat and Assam Bills, Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Assam now have comprehensive UCC legislation. The codes broadly seek to establish common legal provisions relating to marriage, divorce and inheritance.
Madhya Pradesh has also passed UCC legislation, although the law has not yet been implemented. Meanwhile, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan have constituted committees to work on drafting UCC legislation.
Goa has a separate civil-law framework based on the Portuguese Civil Code of 1867, which predates Independence and was not introduced through a contemporary state-level UCC legislative process.
