The Gujarat Assembly on Tuesday passed the Uniform Civil Code Bill amid protests by the Opposition.
The legislation will need to be given assent by the governor to become a law. Once the law is enacted, Gujarat will become the second state after Uttarakhand to implement the uniform civil code.
Congress MLAs walked out of the House before the bill was passed, The Indian Express reported.
The Uniform Civil Code refers to a common set of laws governing marriage, divorce, succession and adoption for all citizens. Currently, such personal affairs of different religious and tribal groups are based on community-specific laws, largely derived from religious scripture.
The bill passed by the Gujarat Assembly also introduces a common legal framework governing related matters such as live-in relationships. The legislation will not apply to all members of Scheduled Tribes or groups whose customary rights are protected under the Constitution.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said that the code will “reject any policy or custom of division or discrimination among citizens” based on their religion or caste. The code has adopted the principles of equality, he was quoted as saying, adding that it reflects “the expectations, aspirations and desires of the citizens of Gujarat for equal justice”.
Patel said that “saving girls from cases such as Shradhha Walkar is part of our duty”. The regulations pertaining to live-in relationships are “not for taking away anybody’s freedom, but for legal security of daughters”, he said.
“For those who do marriages while concealing their identity or do fraud, there is no place in Gujarat,” he added.
Walkar was murdered allegedly by her live-in partner Aaftab Poonawala in Delhi in November 2022. Her body was chopped into pieces and thrown at different places in the city over several months. The case had led to outrage at the time.
The Gujarat legislation makes registration of live-in relationships mandatory for couples in the state, while keeping it optional for residents living outside the state. Failure to register a live-in relationship within a month could attract up to three months’ imprisonment or a fine of Rs 10,000.
In cases where the persons are between 18 and 21 years of age, their parents will be informed by the administration, The Hindu reported.
The Congress’ Gujarat chief Amit Chavda was quoted by The Indian Express as having alleged that the government had introduced the bill “in a hurry, with political intentions while keeping in mind coming elections in the state”.
Gujarat is expected to hold local body elections in April or May.
The lone Muslim MLA Imran Khedawala of the Congress opposed the legislation, arguing that it would distance Muslims from the Shariat law and make them “atheists”, the newspaper reported.
The bill in Gujarat is based on recommendations of a committee chaired by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai.
Article 44 of the Constitution says that the state should “endeavour to secure for the citizens a Uniform Civil Code throughout the territory of India”. However, the provision is part of Directive Principles of State Policy and is thus not legally binding.
Introducing a common personal law has long been on the BJP’s agenda and several states governed by the Hindutva party have been taking steps towards implementing it.
In January 2025, BJP-ruled Uttarakhand became the first state to implement the Uniform Civil Code after independence. A common civil code has been in place in Goa since the Portuguese Civil Code was adopted in 1867.
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