Assam passes Uniform Civil Code bill
The Assam Assembly on Wednesday passed the Uniform Civil Code bill seeking to ban polygamy and make the registration of live-in relationships compulsory, even as the Opposition demanded that it should be sent to a select committee for scrutiny.The passing of the 2026 Uniform Civil Code Bill paves the way for Assam to become the third state, after Uttarakhand and Gujarat, to introduce such a code after independence.
The Uniform Civil Code refers to a common set of laws governing marriage, divorce, succession and adoption for all citizens. Currently, such personal affairs of different religions are based on community-specific laws, largely derived from religious scripture.
On Wednesday, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the tribal population in the state would be kept outside the purview of the Uniform Civil Code. “It does not interfere with the religious practices of any community or traditional practices of our indigenous”, he said on social media.
The code will override personal laws and will “ensure national integration by removing disparate loyalties to law, which have contracting ideologies”, Sarma added.
The bill was tabled in the Assembly on Monday, and was taken up for consideration and passing on Wednesday. It was introduced nearly two weeks after the proposed legislation was cleared by the state Cabinet on May 13.
Today, with the passage of the #UCCAssam bill, every person from every religion across any region of Assam (except 6th schedule areas), will be equal before the law in terms of these civil matters.
I thank all NDA legislators for wholeheartedly supporting this crucial Bill. pic.twitter.com/xQrCGXedCJ
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) May 27, 2026Key changes
The bill proposes to make it mandatory for live-in relationships to be registered within one month.
Failing to register a live-in relationship within one month may lead to imprisonment of up to three months or a fine of up to Rs 10,000. Concealing material facts or submitting false information while registering a live-in relationship may lead to imprisonment of up to three months and a fine up to Rs 25,000.
“ protects vulnerable individuals by declaring that any child born out of a live-in relationship is fully legitimate, and by granting a deserted live-in partner the explicit legal standing to claim financial maintenance through the courts,” a government note on the draft legislation said.
According to the draft legislation, the minimum age of marriage would be 18 years for women and 21 years for men.
The legislation will also make the registration of marriages and divorces mandatory “to prevent fraud”.
Couples will be required to submit a marriage memorandum to the sub-registrar within 60 days of the marriage ceremony. The deliberate non-registration of marriage or divorce within the two-month period may lead to a penalty of Rs 10,000.
A person making false declarations or submitting forged documents may be punished with up to three months of imprisonment or with a fine of up to Rs 25,000, or both.
The failure to register a marriage or submit a memorandum for divorce deliberately despite being served a notice by the sub-registrar to do so, may be punished with a fine of up to Rs 25,000.
The bill also codifies uniform grounds for divorce such as cruelty, desertion or mutual consent. The draft law proposes to ensure that the early childhood custody of children who are below age five “ordinarily remains with the mother”.
BJP and the Uniform Civil Code
Introducing a common personal law has long been on the BJP’s agenda and several states ruled by the party have been making advances towards implementing it.
In January 2025, BJP-ruled Uttarakhand became the first state to implement the Uniform Civil Code after independence. The Gujarat Assembly cleared a similar legislation on March 24 amid protests by the Opposition. A common civil code has been in place in Goa since the Portuguese Civil Code was adopted in 1867.
In its campaign for the Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand, the BJP had mainly targeted Muslim personal law, arguing that it discriminated against women as it allows Muslim men to practice polygamy, inherit a greater share of property, initiate divorce and deny alimony.
Legal experts have said that Uttarakhand’s Uniform Civil Code is drawn primarily from Hindu personal law and could lead to the erasure of the personal law practices of minority communities.
In the run-up to the Assembly elections in Assam, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on March 29 also said that a Uniform Civil Code would be introduced in Assam if the BJP retains power in the state.
On May 4, the BJP secured its third consecutive term in Assam. Sarma was sworn in as the chief minister for the second term on May 12.
Separately, the Assembly had in November passed the 2025 Assam Prohibition of Polygamy Bill to ban polygamy, the practice of having more than one wife.
The legislation proposes up to seven years of imprisonment for persons convicted of polygamy. Further, those found guilty of having concealed their previous marriage can face punishment of up to ten years’ imprisonment.
The introduction of the legislation was viewed as a step towards implementing the Uniform Civil Code in the state.
Written by Nachiket Deuskar. Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.
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