Gujarat Assembly clears Uniform Civil Code Bill
Live-in relationships now require mandatory official registration
Gujarat Assembly Passes Uniform Civil Code Bill: Mandatory Live-In Registration Sparks Personal Debates
Gandhinagar: After a grueling seven-hour debate, Gujarat’s assembly on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, passed the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill via voice vote. The law imposes a common framework for marriage, divorce, succession, and live-in relationships—regardless of religion—banning forced, fraudulent unions and bigamy/polygamy with up to seven years in jail. Marriages and live-ins must register; non-registration risks fines or short jail for live-ins.
Ruling BJP, exempting tribals, hailed it as equality’s triumph. CM Bhupendra Patel, tabling it post a state panel’s report, invoked Vedic unity: “Truth is one; justice must be too.” Live-in registration, he said, protects “our daughters” (up to three months jail or Rs 10,000 fine).
Opposition Congress and AAP cried foul—Congress’s Imran Khedawala called it “anti-Muslim,” violating Sharia and Quran on nikah, inheritance. “Allah’s orders,” he protested, vowing court challenges. Gujarat joins Uttarakhand (2024) as the second UCC state; it applies statewide and to Gujaratis abroad, sparing Scheduled Tribes’ customs.
From Assembly Halls to Home Hearths: Gujarat’s Intimate Reckonings
As sunset bathed Gandhinagar, the vote echoed in tea stalls, mosques, and kitchens. Politicians claimed victory; people grappled with change.
In Ahmedabad’s Juhapura, narrow lanes hummed post-prayers. Retired teacher Abdul Rashid, eyes on his phone’s replay, sighed amid elders: “Khedawala spoke our pain. My daughter’s nikah last year mirrored my parents’—simple, sacred. Now reregister? What sin in tradition?” His wife nodded, clutching prayer beads: “We’ve followed Quran lifelong. This feels like erasure.”
Nearby, hospital worker Fatima, 28, listened quietly. “I’ve nursed women denied fair divorce shares,” she confided later. “If UCC secures my sister—inheritance, protection—maybe it’s a step. But force without empathy? My father’s fury mirrors generations’ faith. Change wounds when rushed.”
Eastern tribal belts breathed easier, exempted. Near Dahod, elder Mohan Bhil sipped chai: “Our customs endure beside state law—markets, festivals shared. But non-exempt neighbors fret. Division deepens struggles; unity promised feels hollow.”
Young Lives Upended: Love, Law, and Family Scrutiny
Live-in clauses hit youth hardest. In a Surat cafe, engineering couple Priya and Arjun huddled. Together three years, now facing registration. Priya: “Protection sounds good—my conservative family disowned me initially. But official stamp? Invites judgment, questions.” Arjun: “We built this quietly. Jail risk? Our life, not politics.”
Waiter Sanjay at a Gandhinagar eatery wiped tables, musing: “My buddy Rohan and girlfriend—three years strong. Register, face parents’ wrath? Ignore, risk fines? Not headlines for them—it’s survival.”
In Rajkot, a Hindu widow, Meena, welcomed reform: “Lost everything post-husband’s death—unequal shares. UCC evens it for daughters like mine.” Yet her Muslim neighbor shook head: “Our ways protected us too. One code erases diversity.”
Protests and Prayers: Faith Meets Future
Khedawala’s vow stirred protests. In a Bharuch mosque, youth chanted: “Sharia zindabad!” Organizer Aisha, a teacher: “Inheritance favors sons? Flawed, yes—but ours to reform, not impose. Daughters suffer either way without dialogue.”
BJP supporters in Vadodara celebrated. Shopkeeper Ravi: “No more forced marriages—my niece escaped one. Equality unites.”
CM Patel’s “daughter protection” resonated with some mothers. In Jamnagar, Sunita hugged her girl: “Live-in? Fine, but registered—safety net amid freedoms.”
A State’s Soul-Searching
Gujarat’s UCC tests hearts. Families debate over dinner: Parents vs. kids on nikah vs. registration. Couples whisper futures. Imams interpret, priests endorse.
Sanjay poured chai: “Laws pass; we live them. Friend’s choice? Their forever.” Fatima prayed balance; Abdul clung to roots; Mohan eyed neighbors warily; Priya chose registration, tearfully.
As Gujarat pioneers UCC, impact unfolds in homes—one nikah rethought, one live-in formalized, one inheritance equalized. Politics fades; personal stories endure, weaving law into life’s fabric.