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UCC Bill, UCC in Assam, Mandatory Registration, live-in Relationships, Assam Assembly
Dispur: Assam has officially passed the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, becoming the third Indian state after Uttarakhand and Gujarat to enact a common civil law governing personal matters across religions.
The landmark legislation was cleared by the Assam Assembly on Wednesday following a heated debate and strong opposition protests inside the House.
The “Uniform Civil Code, Assam, 2026 Bill” seeks to establish a uniform legal framework for issues related to marriage, divorce, inheritance, succession, and live-in relationships, irrespective of religious identity.
One of the key provisions of the law is a complete ban on polygamy, along with mandatory registration of live-in relationships.
The Bill was passed through a voice vote after Speaker Ranjeet Kumar Dass rejected the opposition’s demand to send the legislation to a select committee for wider consultation. Opposition MLAs staged protests and raised slogans in the Well of the House while the voting process continued.
Amid chants of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Jai Shree Ram” from treasury benches, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma moved the Bill for passage, which was later declared passed by the Speaker. The Assembly erupted in applause after the legislation was approved.
The proposed law includes stringent penal provisions. Bigamy or polygamy could attract imprisonment of up to seven years, while failure to register a live-in relationship may lead to a jail term of up to three months.
However, the legislation exempts Scheduled Tribes residing in Assam from the purview of the UCC, acknowledging constitutional protections and tribal customs.
With this move, Assam joins the growing list of BJP-ruled states pushing for implementation of a Uniform Civil Code, an issue that has remained a major political and constitutional debate across the country.
