Uniform Civil Code In Gujarat: What It Means For Marriage, Divorce, Inheritance

Gujarat has taken a historic step towards a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) as its Assembly passes the bill amid protests and political opposition. The legislation introduces a uniform framework for personal laws across communities, mandating marriage registration, setting minimum marriage ages at 21 for men and 18 for women, standardizing divorce procedures, and ensuring equal maintenance and inheritance rights for sons and daughters. Live-in relationships must also be registered, with children granted legitimacy and inheritance rights. While customary and religious ceremonies remain valid if registered, bigamy is banned, and Scheduled Tribes are exempted. The move has sparked controversy, with opposition parties and Muslim bodies criticizing it as anti-minority, and protests erupting in Ahmedabad. Rooted in Article 44 of the Constitution, the UCC has so far been implemented only in Goa and Uttarakhand, making Gujarat the second post-independence state to adopt it.