Guwahati: Unified Civil Code (UCC) bill passed in assembly on the last day of the maiden session of the 16th Assam assembly. The bill was passed in the house with absolute majority despite opposition from Congress party and its alliance partner. Assam became the 3rd state after Uttarakhand and Gujarat to implement UCC. Interestingly, Congress brought an amendment to allow a person to marry a second wife if the first wife is physically not fit to do all the work.
The BJP led NDA government on May 25, tabled the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill in the state assembly as part of their election promise.
Participating in the debate in assembly CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said, Congress party is opposing the UCC only to appease the Muslim community. Their entire debate is based on the Quran and sharia law. Congress has now turned to a one religion party which is a matter of concern. But they shouldn’t forget that it was the Indian National Congress which demanded the implementation of UCC in India. “It seems the Congress MLAs’ debate in the assembly against UCC resembles the Muslim League’s representation”, CM said.
Assam has become the only third state in the country to implement UCC to bring gender justice to the society. It is indeed a great day for Assam, CM Sarma added.
What is Assam UCC?
The Statement of Objects and Reasons attached to the Bill states that its core purpose is to “consolidate and simplify laws governing marriage, divorce, succession and live-in relationships” across communities in the state.
Here are the major points of the Bill:
Ban on Polygamy — The practice of having more than one spouse at a time will be strictly prohibited under the proposed law. The offender will attack a criminal offence case and imprisonment upto 7 years.
Minimum Age of Marriage — The Bill fixes the legal minimum age of marriage at 21 years for men and 18 years for women, bringing it in line with broader national-level discussions on the subject.
Curb on Love Jihad — Act of force conversion, relation with forged identity, harassment and relation with deception will be considered as criminal offence with a provision upto 7 years of imprisonment.
Mandatory Registration of Live-In Relationships — In a first-of-its-kind provision for the state, all live-in relationships will have to be compulsorily registered. This is aimed at ensuring legal protection for both partners and any children born out of such unions. Minimum age for live-in relation should be 21 years for both male and female.
Rights of Children from Live-In Unions — The Bill formally recognises and protects the rights of children born to couples in live-in relationships, giving them legal standing.
Right to property — UCC brings equal rights of property to both boy and girl children. In case of death of a person his property will be equally divided equally between wife, children and living parents.
Exemption for Scheduled Tribes — In a crucial carve-out, the Bill clearly states that its provisions will not apply to Scheduled Tribes residing in Assam, thereby excluding tribal communities from its ambit and protecting their customary practices.
Unified Framework for Personal Laws — The legislation seeks to bring all communities — barring Scheduled Tribes — under a single, unified legal framework covering marriage, divorce, and inheritance.
Senior BJP MLA Sushanta Buragohain said, “ the bill is an issue for those who practises triple talaq. Congress has 18 out of 19 MLAs who believe in triple talaq, so it is obvious from them to oppose the bill.”
CM Sarma lauds UCC
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Sarma described the tabling of the Bill as an opportunity to have an “on-record discussion” on why such a law is the need of the hour. Taking to social media platform X, CM Sarma said the proposed legislation would go a long way in realising the constitutional vision that the architects of independent India had always aspired for.
“For the first time, the Bill provides a legal framework for live-in relationships. By requiring registration, the law ensures that the rights of partners, and any children born from such unions, are formally recognised and protected,” the Chief Minister noted.
Congress opposes UCC
The introduction of the Bill, however, did not go down well with the Opposition benches. Parties including the Indian National Congress, Raijor Dal, and the All India Trinamool Congress strongly objected to the manner in which the Bill was being pushed through, calling for broader stakeholder consultations before it is taken up for deliberation.
The Opposition’s concern centres around the Bill potentially overriding the personal laws of religious and cultural minorities without adequate dialogue and consensus-building — a charge the ruling dispensation has yet to directly address on the floor of the House.
The Big Picture
Assam became one of the early movers among Indian states to introduce a UCC framework at the state level, following Uttarakhand and Gujarat which had enacted its own UCC legislation. With an absolute majority and a weak opposition, BJP is confident of passing the bill in the assembly. The discussion on the bill will be held on 27th May in the assembly. Once passed in the assembly with governor’s approval the UCC will be a valid act in the state of Assam.
