The Assam government on Monday tabled legislation in the state assembly to introduce a uniform civil code (UCC), a contentious and polarising issue, which refers to a common set of laws for personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, and succession for all citizens.
Article 44 of the Constitution, one of the directive principles of state policy, advocates for a UCC. But respective religion-based civil codes have governed personal matters since independence.
In February 2024, Uttarakhand became the first state in the country to pass a UCC law. Another Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state, Gujarat, followed suit in March. BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh has set up a committee to draft the UCC. In Goa, the Goa Civil Code, derived from the Portuguese Civil Code of 1867, provides for compulsory registration of marriages before a civil authority
A pan-India UCC is the BJP’s third unfulfilled ideological promise. The construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status under the Constitution’s Article 370, the other two major ideological goals, have been achieved since the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014.
Assam minister Atul Bora introduced the Uniform Civil Code Assam Bill, 2026, making the northeastern state the third BJP-governed one to introduce such legislation. Discussion and voting on the bill is expected on Tuesday, the last day of the first session of the 16th assembly formed after the polls in April.
{{/usCountry}}Assam minister Atul Bora introduced the Uniform Civil Code Assam Bill, 2026, making the northeastern state the third BJP-governed one to introduce such legislation. Discussion and voting on the bill is expected on Tuesday, the last day of the first session of the 16th assembly formed after the polls in April.
{{/usCountry}}The BJP promised to introduce UCC in Assam in its manifesto ahead of the 2026 assembly polls. The state Cabinet approved the legislation in its first meeting on May 13.
Details of the legislation were not available yet. On May 13, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said tribals, both residing in hills and plains, will be kept outside the purview of UCC in line with similar provisions in Uttarakhand and Gujarat. “All religious rituals, customs, and traditions will also be out of its ambit,” he said.
Tribal account for 12.45% of Assam’s population and Muslims 34.22%, according to the 2011 census.
Sarma said the UCC will regulate the minimum age of marriage, protect the right of women to family property, abolish polygamy, recognise live-in relationships, and mandate compulsory registration of marriages and divorces.