The Assam government on Monday formally introduced the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill in the State Assembly, nearly two weeks after the draft legislation received approval from the state cabinet. On behalf of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Atul Bora tabled “The Uniform Civil Code, Assam, Bill, 2026” in the Assembly. The Bill is expected to be taken up for detailed discussion and passage on May 27. Earlier on May 13, following the first cabinet meeting of the second term of the Himanta Biswa Sarma government held at the No. 1 State Guest House in Koinadhara, Guwahati, the state government had announced that the legislation would be introduced during the ongoing Assembly session. At the time, Chief Minister Sarma had stated that the cabinet had approved the draft UCC Bill and that it would be introduced during the final phase of the Assembly session. According to the proposed legislation, Scheduled Tribes living in both hill and plain areas of Assam will remain completely outside the purview of the Uniform Civil Code. The government has also clarified that traditional religious customs, rituals and practices of different communities will not be affected by the law.
The proposed UCC in Assam mainly focuses on four major subjects — fixing the minimum legal age for marriage, prohibition of polygamy, ensuring equal property rights for daughters, and regulating live-in relationships through legal registration. Under the Bill, the minimum legal age for marriage has been fixed at 21 years for men and 18 years for women. The legislation also proposes a complete ban on polygamy. In another significant provision, live-in relationships would have to be legally registered in order to receive official recognition and regulation. The Bill further seeks to grant daughters equal rights in parental property. If passed, Assam will become the third state in India to enact a Uniform Civil Code law after Uttarakhand and Gujarat.
Uttarakhand became the first state in the country to implement a UCC law in 2024, in line with Article 44 of the Constitution of India, which directs the state to endeavor to secure a uniform civil code for citizens throughout the country.
Earlier this year, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami claimed that one year of UCC implementation had helped empower women and improve safety. He stated that public doubts and apprehensions surrounding the law had largely been addressed and that no cases of privacy violations had been reported despite over five lakh registrations under the system. The Uttarakhand government had also stated that more than 4.74 lakh marriages were registered online within one year after the simplified UCC system came into effect. Meanwhile, Gujarat passed its own UCC Bill in March this year. The Gujarat legislation covers matters relating to marriage, divorce, live-in relationships, maintenance and inheritance, with the stated objective of ensuring stronger legal protection and equal rights for women across communities.
Political observers believe the Assam move is part of the broader push by the Bharatiya Janata Party to implement the Uniform Civil Code nationwide. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier stated that the UCC would also be implemented in West Bengal. Addressing a rally in Murshidabad district in April, he said the BJP remained committed to implementing the UCC to “end the politics of appeasement forever.” The BJP secured a massive victory in the recently concluded Assam Assembly elections, winning 82 seats in the 126-member Assembly. Along with allies Asom Gana Parishad and Bodoland People’s Front, which won 10 seats each, the NDA alliance’s strength in the Assembly rose to 102 seats, giving the government a comfortable majority to push forward major legislative reforms including the UCC Bill.