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Assam Introduces 2026 UCC Bill: Key Personal Law Reforms
Assam Introduces 2026 UCC Bill: Key Personal Law Reforms
The Assam government officially introduced "The Uniform Civil Code, Assam, 2026 Bill" in the State Assembly on Monday, May 25, 2026. Tabled by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Atul Bora on behalf of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the legislation seeks to establish a unified civil legal framework across the state, excluding Scheduled Tribes.
Below are the core features and proposed reforms of the Bill:
1. Key Objectives
The Bill aims to replace diverse, religion-based personal laws with a common set of rules governing marriage, divorce, succession, and live-in relationships to ensure gender equality and legal clarity.
2. Marriage and Divorce
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Standardized Age: The minimum legal age for marriage is set at 21 years for men and 18 years for women.
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Ban on Polygamy: Polygamy and bigamy are strictly prohibited. Violations can lead to imprisonment of up to seven years under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
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Compulsory Registration: Both marriages and divorces must be registered with the government. Couples are required to submit a memorandum to the Sub-Registrar within 60 days of their ceremony. Failure to register can attract a penalty of up to ₹25,000.
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Diverse Ceremonies Protected: While the legal framework is uniform, the Bill permits marriages to be solemnized through existing religious or customary practices (such as Nikah, Vedic Bibah, Ahom Chaklong, Anand Karaj, etc.).
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Uniform Grounds for Divorce: Divorce grounds such as cruelty, desertion, and mutual consent are codified, and the Bill stipulates that custody of children under five should ordinarily remain with the mother.
3. Regulation of Live-in Relationships
For the first time in the state, the Bill establishes a legal framework for live-in relationships:
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Mandatory Registration: Couples in live-in relationships are required to register their status within 30 days of commencement.
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Legal Protections: Children born from such relationships are recognized as legitimate under the law.
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Maintenance: Deserted live-in partners are granted the explicit legal right to seek financial maintenance through the courts.
4. Inheritance and Succession
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Gender-Equal Framework: The Bill proposes a uniform, gender-neutral order of succession for intestate (without a will) property among Class-1 heirs, which includes the spouse, children, and parents of the deceased.
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Right to Execute Wills: Any adult of sound mind is granted the legal right to execute a written and witnessed will for testamentary succession.
5. Exemptions and Repeals
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Tribal Exemption: The Bill explicitly excludes Scheduled Tribes residing in Assam from its purview to preserve their traditional customs and constitutional protections.
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Repeal of Prior Laws: To streamline the legal structure, the Bill proposes to repeal the Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriages and Divorces Act, 2024.
6. Penalties
The legislation includes stringent penal provisions for:
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Fraudulent Marriages: Forcing marriage or concealing facts to deceive a partner can lead to up to seven years in prison.
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Illegal Dissolution: Violating lawful divorce procedures can result in up to three years of imprisonment.
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Non-compliance: Deliberate failure to register or the submission of forged/fabricated documents for registration carries defined penalties, including fines and potential imprisonment.
The Bill is part of a broader government effort to fulfill manifesto promises and modernize the state's civil laws, following similar legislative moves in states like Uttarakhand and Gujarat.
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