THE Assam Government on Monday tabled a Bill on the Uniform Civil Code, seeking to ban polygamy and make registration of live-in relationships compulsory. The Bill, however, said that it will not be applicable to any of the Scheduled Tribes residing in Assam. It proposed several punitive measures, including seven years imprisonment for bigamy or polygamy, and three months in jail for not registering a live-in relationship. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Atul Bora tabled ‘The Uniform Civil Code, Assam, 2026 Bill’ in the first Assembly session of the third BJP-led NDA Government, on behalf of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The Opposition parties, including (Contd from page 1) Congress, Raijor Dal and Trinamool Congress, opposed the move and demanded wider consultation with all stakeholders before its introduction.

 

The Assam UCC, a contentious and polarising issue that was part of BJP’s election manifesto, is likely to come up for discussion on Wednesday, the last day of the ongoing five-day session. “The Bill aims to consolidate and simplify laws governing marriage, divorce, succession, and live-in relationships,” Sarma said in its ‘Statement of Object and Reasons’. For marriage, the Bill sets 21 years and 18 years as minimum age for men and women, respectively, and prohibits polygamy, Sarma said. “Importantly, it protects Assam’s cultural diversity by allowing marriages to be performed according to existing religious and customary rites,” Sarma said. To safeguard legal rights, the Bill proposes to make marriage and divorce registration compulsory, which will be vital for securing maintenance, inheritance and other legal protection for spouses. “For the first time, the Bill provides a legal framework for live-in relationships. By requiring registration, the law ensures that the rights of partners and any children born from such unions are formally recognised and protected,” the CM said.