October 03, 2026: President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to the Gujarat Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, 2026, completing a key constitutional step towards its implementation. Gujarat has become the second state after Uttarakhand to secure approval for a Uniform Civil Code, which seeks to establish a common legal framework for personal matters across religious communities.
The legislation will come into force after the Gujarat government notifies the rules. Members of Scheduled Tribes (STs) are excluded from its provisions.
The Gujarat Assembly passed the Bill in March following a seven-and-a-half-hour discussion. Before the legislation was passed by voice vote, Congress legislators staged a walkout and demanded that the Speaker refer it to a Select Committee.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said the legislation would promote equality and national integration. “The key aim of introducing the bill is to ensure social harmony and national unity. The Supreme Court has also suggested that UCC will ensure women’s rights are secured,” he said while introducing the Bill.
What does the Gujarat UCC provide?
The legislation establishes a common framework covering marriage, divorce, succession and inheritance, and live-in relationships, irrespective of religion.
It prescribes a minimum marriage age of 21 years for men and 18 years for women. Couples can solemnise marriages through religious ceremonies or under the Special Marriage Act, but registration is compulsory.
The Code prohibits a second marriage while an existing marriage remains valid, thereby disallowing polygamy. It also invalidates marriages between persons within prohibited degrees of relationship, unless an established custom or usage permits the union and is not contrary to public policy or morality.
The legislation further prohibits nikah halala, a practice requiring a divorced woman to marry another man and obtain a divorce before remarrying her former husband. It provides that divorced spouses can remarry without such a condition. Forcing or abetting the practice attracts legal consequences.
What are the rules for divorce and inheritance?
The Code establishes a common judicial procedure for divorce, replacing religion-specific methods of dissolving marriages, including customary out-of-court procedures and iddat-related processes.
Either spouse may seek divorce on grounds including adultery, cruelty, desertion for two continuous years, religious conversion and incurable unsoundness of mind. Wives have additional grounds where the husband is guilty of rape or an unnatural sexual offence, or has multiple wives from marriages contracted before the Code came into force.
Divorce by mutual consent is permitted if the couple has lived separately for at least one year.
For inheritance, the legislation introduces a common framework for intestate succession, applicable when a person dies without a will. The surviving spouse or spouses, surviving children, branches of predeceased children and surviving parents receive equal shares under the prescribed order of succession. Sons and daughters inherit equally, regardless of religion.
The Code does not alter testamentary succession, meaning property can still be distributed according to a valid will. If no eligible heirs survive, the estate passes to the government through Escheat.
How does the Code regulate live-in relationships?
Registration of live-in relationships is mandatory. Partners must submit a statement to the designated registrar, and couples must notify the authorities when their relationship ends.
A relationship cannot be registered if either partner is a minor, is already married, is in another live-in relationship or falls within a prohibited degree of relationship.
Failure to register a relationship after cohabiting for more than one month can attract imprisonment of up to three months, a fine of up to Rs 10,000, or both. The Bill also provides for a fine of up to Rs 10,000 for non-registration of marriages and divorces.
Children born from live-in relationships are recognised as legitimate children of the couple. Women deserted by their live-in partners can approach a competent court to seek maintenance.
What are the objections and constitutional concerns?
The Opposition criticised the legislation during its passage. Congress MLA Imran Khedawala described it as “against our society” and questioned its benefits, while alleging that the government should focus on other issues concerning Muslim women. AAP MLA Chatar Vasavane alleged that the Bill served electoral interests and raised concerns about its implications for tribal women marrying outside their communities.
Legal concerns also arise from compulsory registration and penalties for live-in relationships. A June 2026 analysis published by The Hindu noted that such provisions raise questions about individual autonomy and the State’s regulation of consensual adult relationships.
In S Khushboo v Kanniammal (2010), the Supreme Court held that morality and criminality are not synonymous and that live-in relationships and premarital sex should not be associated with criminality.
The analysis also cited Deepika Singh v Central Administrative Tribunal (2022), in which the Supreme Court recognised that non-traditional family structures deserve legal protection and social welfare benefits. Critics have been reported to argue that the UCCs do not adequately accommodate such family arrangements, including queer relationships.
Article 44 of the Constitution directs the State to endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for citizens. Uttarakhand implemented its UCC in February 2024, while Gujarat’s law awaits notification of its implementation rules.
Gujarat is the second state after Uttarakhand became first in independent India to implement a Uniform Civil Code on January 27, 2025, introducing a common legal framework governing marriage, divorce, inheritance and live-in relationships, with an exemption for Scheduled Tribes.
