Guwahati, May 25: The Assam government on Monday introduced the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, 2026 in the state Assembly, outlining a common civil framework for marriage, divorce, succession and live-in relationships across communities, while excluding Scheduled Tribes to protect their constitutional safeguards.
The draft legislation makes registration of marriages and live-in relationships mandatory, prescribing timelines and penalties for non-compliance. Under the proposed law, marriages must be registered within 60 days of solemnisation, while couples in live-in relationships must register within 30 days. Failure to register marriages or divorces within the stipulated period may invite a penalty of Rs 10,000.
The Bill seeks to replace religion-based personal laws with a uniform legal structure aimed at ensuring gender justice and equality. It also bans polygamy and fixes the legal age for marriage at 21 years for men and 18 years for women.
According to the Assam Information Centre, the legislation preserves cultural and religious diversity by allowing marriages to continue under traditional customs and ceremonies, including Vedic Bibah, Ahom Chaklong, Saptapadi, Nikah, Holy Union and Anand Karaj.
The proposed law also provides uniform grounds for divorce, including cruelty, desertion and mutual consent. It further states that custody of children below five years will ordinarily remain with the mother.
For live-in relationships, the Bill proposes legal safeguards for vulnerable individuals. Children born out of such relationships will be recognised as legitimate, while deserted partners will have the right to seek financial maintenance through courts.
In matters of inheritance, the legislation proposes a gender-neutral and uniform order of succession among Class-1 heirs, including spouses, children and parents. It also grants every adult of sound mind the right to execute a written and witnessed Will.
The Bill contains stringent penal provisions to curb unlawful practices. Polygamy or bigamy may attract imprisonment of up to seven years under Section 82 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Child marriage, forced marriage or marriage conducted through fraud or deception may also invite jail terms and fines.
Illegal dissolution of marriage in violation of the prescribed divorce process may lead to imprisonment of up to three years along with penalties. Compelling a divorced individual to fulfil unlawful conditions before remarriage could attract a three-year jail term and a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
The legislation further proposes punishment for marriages within prohibited relationships, unless permitted under valid customs, with imprisonment up to six months and fines up to Rs 50,000. Submission of forged documents during registration may invite imprisonment up to three months or fines up to Rs 25,000.
Failure to register a live-in relationship within the prescribed one-month period may also result in imprisonment up to three months or a fine of up to Rs 10,000.
The Bill additionally proposes repealing the Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriages and Divorces Act, 2024, as part of efforts to streamline the state’s legal framework. However, it includes a savings clause protecting polygamous marriages solemnised before the proposed UCC comes into force.
Nearly two weeks after receiving Cabinet approval, “The Uniform Civil Code, Assam, Bill, 2026” was tabled in the Assembly by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Atul Bora on behalf of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The Bill is expected to be taken up for discussion and passage on May 27.
