Assam Cabinet clears UCC draft bill, to be tabled in Assembly on May 26: Himanta Sarma

The Bharatiya Janata Party government in Assam will introduce the Uniform Civil Code bill in the Assembly on May 26, said Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Sarma added that the state Cabinet had approved the draft legislation.

Speaking to reporters after chairing the first Cabinet meeting of his second term as head of the state government, the chief minister said that the tribal population in the state would be kept outside the purview of the Uniform Civil Code bill.

“We have also kept all rituals, traditions and customs practised by the people of Assam outside the scope of the Uniform Civil Code,” the chief minister said, adding that the code will deal with succession, marriage, live-in relationships, and compulsory registration of marriage and divorce.

The Uniform Civil Code refers to a common set of laws governing marriage, divorce, succession and adoption for all citizens. Currently, such personal affairs of different religious are based on community-specific laws, largely derived from religious scripture.

The introduction of a common personal law has for long been on the BJP’s agenda and several states ruled by the party have been making advances towards implementing it.

In January 2025, BJP-ruled Uttarakhand became the first state to implement the Uniform Civil Code after independence. The Gujarat Assembly cleared a similar legislation on March 24 amid protests...

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