Prez Murmu gives nod to Gujarat Uniform Civil Code

President Droupadi Murmu has approved the Gujarat Uniform Civil Code, 2026, fulfilling the last constitutional requirement for its implementation. This makes Gujarat the second state, following Uttarakhand, to introduce a UCC. The President sanctioned the law on September 17, as per the Gujarat Government Gazette Extraordinary dated October 1. The law, now Gujarat Act No. 15 of 2026, will take effect on a date to be determined by the state government through a Gazette notification.

The Bill received approval from the Gujarat Assembly on March 24 after a lengthy debate lasting over seven hours. It was based on a report by a committee led by retired Supreme Court justice Ranjana Prakash Desai. The Act applies uniformly to all residents of Gujarat, regardless of their religion, and covers marriage, divorce, succession, live-in relationships, and related matters. It extends to the entire state and residents of Gujarat who reside outside its borders.

Scheduled Tribes and groups with constitutionally protected customary rights are excluded from the Act's purview. Every marriage must be registered within 60 days; failure to do so may result in a fine of up to ₹10,000. The code prohibits bigamy and mandates equal inheritance rights for sons and daughters across all religions. Live-in relationships also need to be registered, and the Act outlines a process for dissolving them.

The Gujarat government initiated the process in 2022, establishing a committee to assess the necessity and viability of a UCC in the state. They later formed a five-member panel under Justice Desai to draft the legislation, with the panel required to submit its report within 45 days. Uttarakhand was the first state to enact a UCC after independence, with its UCC Act, 2024 applying to all residents irrespective of religion, banning polygamy and child marriage, and exempting Scheduled Tribes. This UCC came into force in January 2025.