Assam Parliamentary Affairs Minister Atul Bora, on Monday, tabled the Uniform Civil Code Bill, Assam, 2026, to regulate laws relating to marriage and divorce, succession, live-in relationships and connected matters before the Assembly, weeks after the third NDA government was formed in the state.
The Bill has been introduced on the third day of the first session of the newly elected Assam Legislative Assembly, a move which has drawn criticism from opposition parties Congress, Raijor Dal and Trinamool Congress, who have demanded wide consultations before the tabling of the Bill.
The statement of object and reasons of the bill, which will come up for discussion later in the week, states that the Bill seeks to set standard conditions for marriage such as a minimum age of marriage, 21 for men and 18 for women, and “prohibition of polygamy”.
“Importantly, it protects Assam’s cultural diversity by allowing marriages to be performed according to existing religious and customary rights,” it says.
It also states that the Bill makes the registration of all marriages and divorces compulsory, and that it creates a “legal framework of live-in relationships.”
“By requiring registration, the law ensures that the rights of partners – and any children born from such unions – are formally recognized and protected,” it states.
It also states that the Bill seeks to introduce “uniform rules for inheritance” with the stated aim of “ensuring that the transfer of assets is handled justly for all residents of the state.”
The Bill states that the proposed legislation will extend to the whole of Assam and “applies to residents of Assam who reside outside the territories to which the code extends.” However, it states that it will not apply to members of any Scheduled Tribes.
The BJP’s election manifesto listed “implementation of the UCC” — excluding tribal communities and parts of the state protected under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution — as one of the party’s core promises.
