Two weeks after the Assam Cabinet’s approval, the state government has introduced the Uniform Civil Code Bill in the Assembly. The purpose of this bill is to ban polygamy and make registration of live-in relationships mandatory. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Atul Bora presented this bill ‘Uniform Civil Code Assam 2026 Bill’ in the Assembly on behalf of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
This important bill is likely to be discussed and passed on May 27. However, opposition parties including Congress, Raijor Dal and Trinamool Congress opposed the move and demanded wide consultation with all concerned before introducing the bill. Also, the opposition says that before presenting it, there should be extensive discussion with the stakeholders.
purpose of the bill
In the ‘Statement of objects and reasons’ of the bill, CM Sarma said that the objective of this bill is to consolidate and simplify the laws related to marriage, divorce, succession and live-in relationships. He said that for marriage, this bill sets the minimum age of 21 years and 18 years for men and women and also prohibits polygamy.
He said that most importantly, this bill protects the cultural diversity of Assam by allowing marriages to be solemnized as per existing religious and customary customs. To protect legal rights, the Bill proposes to make registration of marriages and divorces mandatory, which will be important to ensure maintenance, inheritance and other legal protections for spouses.
Registration mandatory
The Chief Minister said in the bill, for the first time this bill provides a legal framework for live-in relationships. By making registration mandatory, the law ensures that the rights of the partners, and the rights of any children born from such relationships, are formally recognized and protected. He further said that it has also been said in this bill that it will not apply to any Scheduled Tribes living in Assam.
He further said that the objective of UCC is to modernize succession laws so as to ensure fair and equitable distribution of property. He said it imposes uniform rules for succession, ensuring that transfer of property is done in an equitable manner for all residents of the state.
Five main points of law
- Complete ban on polygamy: The practice of having more than one marriage will be declared completely illegal in the state.
- Uniform minimum age for marriage: The same rule of legal age for marriage will apply to both men and women.
- Compulsory registration of marriage and divorce: Every marriage and divorce will be required to be registered in government records.
- Equal property rights for women: Daughters will be given equal rights as sons in ancestral property and inheritance.
- Rules for live-in relationships: Registration and compliance with legal rules will be made mandatory for couples living together without marriage.
Assam will become the third state to implement UCC
If this bill is passed, it will become the third state in the country after Assam, Uttarakhand and Gujarat to implement UCC law. Uttarakhand had implemented UCC in the year 2024 and with this it became the first state in the country to implement such a law under the Directive Principles of State Policy of the Constitution. Article 44 of the Indian Constitution directs the states to make efforts to implement a uniform civil code for the citizens of the entire country.
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