Ban on polygamy to registration of live-in relationships: What's there in Assam UCC Bill

Guwahati: Three weeks after returning to power for the third straight term, the BJP-led government in Assam on Monday introduced a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill in the state Assembly that seeks to prohibit polygamy, make registration of live-in relationships mandatory, beside others.

The Bill also seeks to make registration of all marriages and divorce compulsory and include the spouse, children and parents of deceased as legal heirs for inheritance.

The Bill, if passed in the Assembly on Wednesday (May 27), will make Assam the third state after Uttarakhand and Gujarat to promulgate a UCC. The UCC was one of the major promises of the BJP in the manifesto for the Assembly elections conducted on April 9.

The Bill, Uniform Civil Code, Assam 2026, was tabled in the Assembly by senior Cabinet minister and President of Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), a regional ally of BJP, on behalf of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is in New Delhi. The first Cabinet meeting of the new government approved the Bill on May 13, a day after it took oath. BJP and its allies came to power by winning 102 out of 126 seats on May 4, with the saffron party alone bagging 82 seats.

"The Bill seeks to protect the rights and dignity of our women," Bora said after it was introduced in the Assembly amid opposition by the Congress and its allies.

The Bill establishes a single civil legal framework for all residents regarding marriage, divorce, succession, and live-in relationships. It explicitly excludes Scheduled Tribes to preserve their constitutional protections, while replacing various religion-based personal laws to ensure absolute equality and gender justice, said a note on the Bill, which was issued by the state government.

While it seeks to make registration of live-in relationships mandatory, the Bill says any child born out of a live-in relationship would be considered fully legitimate, and by granting a deserted live-in partner the explicit legal standing to claim financial maintenance through the courts.

"This Bill sends a strong and unambiguous message that exploitation, fraud and unlawful practices in personal relationships shall not be tolerated. Child marriage and marriage without valid consent shall attract imprisonment up to two years or fine or both. Fraudulent or deceptive marriages through force, coercion or concealment shall be punishable with imprisonment up to seven years along with fine. Violation of lawful divorce procedure and illegal dissolution of marriage shall invite imprisonment up to three years and fine, while compelling a divorced person to fulfil unlawful conditions before remarriage shall attract three years imprisonment and a penalty of Rs one lakh."

Opposing the Bill, Akhil Gogoi, an MLA from Sivasagar and president of Raijor Dal, an ally of the Congress said, "The Bill has nothing new. The provisions like ban on polygamy, registration of marriage or minimum age for marriage are already there, except for those related to live-in relationships. The Bill has been introduced by Chief Minister Sarma only to appease his high command and the Sangh Parivar."

Congress MLA, Rekibuddin Ahmed said the Bill targets a particular community (Muslims). The Bill will be discussed in the Assembly on Wednesday (May 27) for passage.

Key highlights of the Bill:

Marriage/divorce:

Compulsory registration of marriages and divorces within 60 days.

Inheritance:

The Bill seeks to include the spouse, children, and parents of the deceased for inheritance of properties.

Live-in relationships:

Mandatory registration of live-in relationships within one month, children born out of a live-in relationship to be considered fully legitimate.

Polygamy:

Polygamy to be prohibited, imprisonment upto 7 years for the guilty.