{"id":74875,"date":"2026-05-26T18:06:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T12:36:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=74875"},"modified":"2026-05-26T18:08:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T12:38:03","slug":"assam-ucc-bill-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/26-05-2026\/assam-ucc-bill-2026","title":{"rendered":"Assam\u2019s Uniform Civil Code Bill, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/ Polity and Governance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Government of Assam<\/strong> has introduced the <strong>Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, 2026<\/strong> in the State Assembly.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Assam became the third state in India to table a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) bill, following <strong>Uttarakhand and Gujarat.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is Uniform Civil Code (UCC)?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>A Uniform Civil Code refers<\/strong> to the provision of one law for the entire country, applicable to all religious communities, in their personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Aim: <\/strong>To replace the existing diverse personal laws that vary based on religious affiliations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Constitutional Provisions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Article 44 <\/strong>contained in <strong>part IV <\/strong>of the Constitution says that the state \u201cshall endeavor to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India\u201d.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Part IV of the Constitution <\/strong>outlines the <strong>Directive Principles of State Policy, <\/strong>which, while not enforceable or justiciable in a court of law, are fundamental to the country\u2019s governance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>UCC in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>UCC in Goa:<\/strong> It follows the <strong>Portuguese Civil Code of 1867, <\/strong>which means that people of all religions in Goa are subject to the same laws on marriage, divorce, and succession.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Goa Daman and Diu Administration Act of 1962<\/strong>, which was passed after Goa joined the union as a territory in <strong>1961<\/strong>, gave Goa permission to apply the Civil Code.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In 2024, The Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly passed The <strong>Uniform Civil Code of Uttarakhand Act, 2024<\/strong>, becoming the first Indian State to adopt a UCC post-independence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Provisions of the Assam UCC Bill, 2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ban on Polygamy and Bigamy: <\/strong>The Bill mandates monogamy for all residents under its ambit.<strong> <\/strong>Bigamy and polygamy <strong>would attract punishment<\/strong> under the <strong>Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Existing polygamous marriages solemnised before enforcement of the law would remain legally protected.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Uniform Marriage Age: <\/strong>The minimum legal age is fixed at 21 years for men and 18 years for women.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mandatory Registration:<\/strong> Registration of all marriages and divorces would become compulsory and couples must submit a marriage memorandum <strong>within 60 days<\/strong> of marriage.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Non-registration may attract penalties and fines.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Regulation of Live-in Relationships:<\/strong> Registration of live-in relationships <strong>within one month<\/strong> has been made <strong>mandatory<\/strong> and <strong>children<\/strong> born from such relationships would be <strong>considered legitimate.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Deserted partners would have legal rights to claim maintenance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Uniform Grounds for Divorce:<\/strong> The Bill standardises divorce grounds such as; cruelty, desertion, mutual consent.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Bill also penalises illegal dissolution of marriage and unlawful conditions imposed before remarriage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Gender-Equal Inheritance: <\/strong>The Bill establishes equal inheritance rights for spouses, children, and parents. It creates a uniform succession framework irrespective of religion.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Testamentary succession<\/strong> through written wills is legally recognised.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Child and Fraudulent Marriages: <\/strong>The Bill prescribes punishment for child marriage and marriages conducted without valid consent.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Bill also provides imprisonment and fines for fraudulent or deceptive marriages conducted through force, coercion, concealment, or misrepresentation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Exemption for Scheduled Tribes: <\/strong>The Bill excludes Scheduled Tribes (STs) from its purview in order to protect customary practices and constitutional safeguards available to tribal communities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Arguments in favor of UCC<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Uniformity in Governance:<\/strong> Having a common set of laws would streamline governance and administrative processes, making it easier for the state to administer justice and ensure the rights of its citizens.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Women&#8217;s Rights:<\/strong> Personal laws in different religions may have discriminatory provisions, particularly against women, and a uniform code will provide a more egalitarian legal framework.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Secularism: <\/strong>A Uniform Civil Code is seen as a way to reinforce the secular fabric of the country by treating all citizens equally irrespective of their religious affiliations.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Promote national Spirit:<\/strong> The implementation of a UCC will promote the integration of India by establishing a shared platform for diverse communities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Supreme Court<\/strong> in various judgments including <strong>Mohd. Ahmed Khan vs Shah Bano Begum judgment of 1985,<\/strong> has called for the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Sarla Mudgal v. The Union of India (1995)<\/strong> judgment of the Supreme Court highlighted the urgent need for a Uniform Civil Code to prevent the exploitation of personal laws.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Arguments against UCC<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Against Constitutional provisions:<\/strong> UCC is perceived as an infringement upon the constitutional right to freely exercise one\u2019s chosen religion found in <strong>Article 25 and 26<\/strong> and the <strong>Sixth Schedule<\/strong> of the Constitution<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fear of Majoritarianism: <\/strong>Some minority groups fear that the Uniform Civil Code may reflect the customs and practices of the majority community rather than a genuinely neutral framework.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Law Commission of India<\/strong> stated that a UCC \u201cis neither necessary nor desirable at this stage\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The authorities should <strong>consult with different sections of society <\/strong>before implementing the UCC to foster an environment of inclusivity, transparency, and respect for <strong>diverse perspectives<\/strong> throughout the process.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Incremental reforms in personal laws<\/strong> may be more effective and socially acceptable than abrupt uniformity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Legal reforms should ensure that the <strong>cultural and customary rights of vulnerable communities remain safeguarded.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/assam\/ucc-bill-introduced-in-assam-assembly-seeks-to-ban-polygamy-register-live-in-relationships\/article7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The Government of Assam has introduced the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, 2026 in the State Assembly. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> What is Uniform Civil Code (UCC)? <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> A Uniform Civil Code refers to the provision of one law for the entire country, applicable to all religious communities, in their personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, etc. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Aim: To replace the existing diverse personal laws that vary based on religious affiliations. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/26-05-2026\/assam-ucc-bill-2026 \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-74875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74875"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74875\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74878,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74875\/revisions\/74878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}