The Central Government Is Set To Implement The Uniform Civil Code In All BJP-Ruled States

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami thumped his chest in pride when he informed all of us who belong to this state that we would now be brought under a uniform legal framework for marriage, divorce, property, inheritance, and adoption laws. A minimum age for marriage had been stipulated across all religions, and all marriages and divorces would necessarily have to be registered.

The law has been with us for the past twenty months, and the question uppermost in my mind is what difference has it made to the lives of the public? Marriage registrations increased exponentially, with 4.7 lakh marriages having been registered during the last year itself. Most of these were registered online. In contrast, only 316 obtained certificates for divorce.

Live-In Relationships Face Resistance

The most contentious aspect of this act was the compulsory registration of couples in live-in relationships who were required to register their relationship within one month of the start of the relationship. Failure to do so could attract imprisonment of up to three months, a fine of up to Rs 10,000, or both. Sixty-eight Uttarakhandis signed up for live-in relationships, while two bravehearts obtained certificates to show they had ended the relationship.

This institutionalisation of live-in relationships does not have the approval of a large section of the people in the state. "The UCC seems to treat marriage and live-in on par with each other, which may not find ready social acceptance in a state like Uttarakhand where traditional institutions like marriage are still deeply rooted," senior Uttarakhand High Court lawyer Dushyant Mainali said.

Gujarat Follows Uttarakhand

Gujarat became the second state to pass the UCC on March 24, 2026. The UCC framework for this state reads like a carbon copy of the Uttarakhand framework. No official data is available on the number of marriage registrations, divorces, and live-in relationships. This information has been put on hold until the state government can push through an amendment to the Gujarat Registration of Marriages Act 2006. This has been introduced to ‘protect the dignity of girls and sanatan dharma’, stated Gujarat’s Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi while tabling this amendment in the assembly this February.

“If any Salim changes his identity and becomes Suresh to trap innocent girls, he will be taught a lesson for life,” Sanghavi declared, thumbing the table loudly amidst loud cheers. Sanghavi cited cases from Panchmahal, where he claimed hundreds of nikaah certificates were issued despite not a single Muslim or mosque in the entire district. He also claimed that similar cases had been reported from the districts of Banaskantha, Navsari, and Mehsana. Independent corroboration of these claims? None.

Marriage Registration Requirements

If passed by the assembly, the amendments would expect couples who want to get married to submit a notarised application signed by both parties and two witnesses, along with proof of identity, Aadhaar cards, birth certificates or school-leaving certificates, a wedding invitation, photos, and a declaration stating whether the parents have been informed.

Similar documents would be required from the parents on both sides. The assistant registrar’s confirmation would be conveyed electronically or physically within 10 working days. Marriage registration would take place 30 days after the registrar is satisfied that all requirements have been met.

Concerns Over Honour Killings

Reports indicate mounting unease in Gujarat over young couples who have been defying barriers of caste and creed to marry for love. Pre-marital sex among teenagers is not unusual. Disturbingly, cases of so-called honour killings have gone up, particularly in rural areas where young couples are murdered and their bodies strung up on trees, their deaths passed off as suicides.

A study conducted by the Gujarat-based non-profit Area Networking and Development Initiatives (ANANDI) and the NGO Mahila Sangathan looked into unnatural deaths in three districts of Panchmahal and Dahod between 2018 and 2021.

What they found was deeply troubling. In 88 per cent of the cases officially recorded as suicides, the bodies of young couples bore multiple wounds and bruises prior to their alleged ‘hanging’. Data showed that as many as 60 young men and women from the OBC community and 26 Adivasis died in similarly suspicious circumstances.

Gujarat-based activist Sejal Dang says, “A gender backlash is taking place against women. Our jails are overflowing with young men charged with rape, kidnapping, and other crimes under the POCSO Act.”

She says caste-based sammelans (being organised by powerful Brahmin, Patidar, and OBC groups in the state) are “a new form of vigilantism that has gripped our society… They want complete control over women. First, they talked of ‘love jihad’ to create a fear psychosis. Then they attacked Adivasis and Dalits. Now, it’s a wholesale attack on women.”

Assam Becomes Third State

Assam became the third state to pass the UCC in May 2026. While like the other states, bigamy and polygamy are banned, it allows marriages to continue being solemnised according to existing religious and customary practices.

The UCC would repeal the Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriages and Divorces Act, 2024, as part of an effort to streamline the state's legal framework. However, the Bill contains a savings clause, protecting polygamous marriages solemnised before the new law comes into force.

Since this law is just three months old, no cumulative figures are available on the registration of marriages, divorces, and live-in relationships so far. Madhya Pradesh has also passed a similar law, and while Rajasthan has tabled this law in the Assembly, it has yet to come up for discussion.

NDA States Face UCC Debate

The Home Minister has promised that all NDA-ruled states will have a UCC in place before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. The NDA allies, such as the Janata Dal (United), the Telugu Desam Party, and the Lok Janshakti, are not very comfortable with this plan. The BJP’s alliance partners in Nagaland and Meghalaya have opposed its implementation, with the latter state’s Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma, declaring a UCC is ‘neither appropriate nor practical’ for a diverse country like India.

Nagaland’s Chief Minister Neiphiu Rao has also sought an exception for his state, insisting a UCC will threaten Naga’s unique culture and customs. India’s 10.45 crore tribal community has been kept outside the purview of the UCC in order, the centre claims, to protect its unique traditions and customs. Opposition leaders believe this has been done to win over the crucial Adivasi vote bank.

Muslim Women Raise Concerns

Muslim women one has spoken to in Uttarakhand believe the UCC has been brought in to further polarise and divide communities. As one highly qualified Dehradun-based Muslim woman lawyer said, “Criminal laws are common across all religions. Muslim women are free to use civil laws if we want to go in for a divorce on alimony. I am all for gender justice and opposing archaic and patriarchal personal laws. But gender-just practices are not applicable to either Muslim or Hindu women living in our villages and smaller towns. Education and economic freedom are prerequisites to ensure gender justice.”

Rashme Sehgal is an author and an independent journalist.

Published on: Friday, September 18, 2026, 09:17 PM IST