The Gujarat Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, 2026 has received the assent of President Droupadi Murmu, clearing a key constitutional step for the legislation. According to the President of India’s official State Bills record, the bill received assent on September 17, 2026.
The Gujarat Assembly had passed the UCC Bill in March 2026. The legislation creates a common legal framework covering areas including marriage, divorce, succession and live-in relationships, irrespective of religion.
Polygamy Banned
One of the major provisions of the Gujarat UCC is a ban on polygamy or multiple marriages. The legislation provides a common framework for marriage across communities.
The Bill also includes provisions dealing with forced or fraudulent marriages, with imprisonment of up to seven years in specified cases.
Live-In Relationships to Be Registered
The UCC also introduces a formal legal framework for live-in relationships.
Live-in relationships covered by the law will have to be registered, with provisions also dealing with the termination of such relationships. The legislation aims to establish legal procedures around rights and responsibilities arising from these relationships.
Marriage Registration Rules
The law provides for registration of marriages under a common framework. Reports on the legislation say marriages are required to be registered within a specified period, with penalties for non-compliance.
Importantly, non-registration does not by itself make a marriage invalid under the provisions reported for the law.
Protection for Children and Women
The UCC includes provisions dealing with the legal status and rights of children born within or outside marriage, as well as children born through assisted reproductive technologies and adopted children.
The legislation also contains provisions related to maintenance and legal protection in certain circumstances involving live-in relationships.
Scheduled Tribes Exempted
The Gujarat UCC does not apply to members of Scheduled Tribes (STs). The exemption is intended to protect constitutionally recognised customary practices and traditions.
What Happens Next?
With presidential assent granted, the constitutional approval stage for the Gujarat UCC Bill has been completed. The state government will now move ahead with the administrative and implementation process under the legislation.
Gujarat has become the second state after Uttarakhand to pass a state UCC law, although the two laws have their own provisions and implementation frameworks.
The development puts Gujarat’s UCC among the country’s latest major state-level changes to personal and civil law.
