Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma: State Will Introduce Bill On Uniform Civil Code

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Thursday that Assam will introduce a Bill seeking a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), becoming the third state to do so after Uttarakhand and Gujarat. The bill will exempt the tribal communities from the law’s provisions. UCC refers to a nonreligious common law that applies to all citizens of the nation. A common code should encompass personal laws as well as laws pertaining to inheritance, adoption, and succession.

Assam model of Uniform Civil Code to have innovation

“We are waiting for the Uttarakhand Bill on Uniform Civil Code and after it is introduced, Assam will follow it with certain additional clauses,” the chief minister said at a press conference here.  The Assam model will have certain innovative points as the state is fighting against child marriage and polygamy, he said.

The Bill will, however, exempt the tribal communities from its ambit, Sarma said. “We will go through the Uttarakhand Bill and see if public consultations will be possible within the next two to three months,” he said.

If, however, certain complications arise, the matter will be discussed with experts and the Bill will be framed accordingly, Sarma added.  “Everything depends on Bills passed by Uttarakhand and Gujarat, but Assam will definitely be the third state to bring a bill on the UCC,” he said.

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Polygamy to come to an end

The chief minister added that during the assembly’s upcoming budget session, which starts next month, the state government intends to introduce a bill to outlaw polygamy in the state. 150 suggestions were received regarding the proposed Bill to end the social menace in the state after an expert committee’s report on the assembly’s authority to end polygamy was submitted.

Prior to this, Sarma had declared that while his government supported the UCC, polygamy should be outlawed right away in the state that is ruled by the BJP. Even though the UCC is a matter that the Parliament will decide, a state may decide on it with the President’s approval. It’s only a few months until the Lok Sabha elections. A UCC’s implementation has been included in the BJP’s election manifestos.