CURRENT AFFAIRS | 28 MAY 2026
The Assam Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, 27 May 2026 passed the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, 2026 after a five-hour-plus debate, making Assam the third State of independent India – after Uttarakhand (2024) and Gujarat (2025) – to put a UCC on its statute book, and the first State of the Northeast to do so. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma defended the legislation as a “reform-oriented” code to deliver gender justice, while exempting Scheduled Tribes and Sixth Schedule areas. The Congress and AIUDF Opposition called it constitutionally vulnerable, citing Articles 25, 26 and 29 of the Constitution.
Constitutional Framework
- Article 44 (DPSP): “The State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India.” Non-justiciable but a directive ideal.
- Article 25: Freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion – subject to public order, morality and health.
- Article 26: Freedom of every religious denomination to manage its own affairs.
- Article 29: Right of any section of citizens having a distinct language, script or culture to conserve the same.
- Article 244 + Sixth Schedule: Administration of tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram – Autonomous District Councils (Bodoland TC, Karbi Anglong, Dima Hasao) hold legislative + judicial powers over customary law and inheritance.
- Article 371(B): Special constitutional provision for Assam empowering a tribal-areas committee of the Assembly.
The CLAT Angle – Why This Matters
UCC is a perennial CLAT Polity hotspot because it sits at the intersection of three of the most contested constitutional axes: DPSP vs Fundamental Rights, federalism vs uniformity, and majority law vs minority cultural autonomy.
The Supreme Court has repeatedly directed the State towards a UCC: Mohd Ahmed Khan v Shah Bano Begum (1985) recognised maintenance under Section 125 CrPC and recommended Article 44; Sarla Mudgal v Union of India (1995) confronted polygamy through religious conversion; John Vallamattom v Union of India (2003) struck down Section 118 of the Indian Succession Act (Christian wills restriction) and reiterated Article 44.
The Assam Bill’s tribal exemption is the constitutional fulcrum – it concedes that the Sixth Schedule and Article 371(B) carve out a parallel customary-law regime that no State UCC can override.
Key Facts – Memorize These
| Bill | Assam Uniform Civil Code Bill, 2026 |
| Passed on | 27 May 2026 (Wednesday) |
| Status | 3rd State UCC of independent India; 1st of the Northeast |
| Exempted | All Scheduled Tribes; Sixth Schedule areas (BTC, Karbi Anglong, Dima Hasao); Tiwa, Tai Phake plain-tribes |
| Core provisions | Compulsory marriage registration; uniform divorce grounds; gender-neutral intestate succession; polygamy ban; Asam Nari Shakti provisions; criminalises forcible religious conversion through marriage |
| Constitutional anchors | Art 44 (DPSP); Art 25, 26, 29 (rights); Art 244 + Sixth Schedule; Art 371(B) |
| Key cases | Shah Bano (1985); Sarla Mudgal (1995); John Vallamattom (2003) |
| Opposition position | Cong + AIUDF: existing laws cover polygamy + child marriage; violates Art 25/26/29; breach of Sixth Schedule autonomy |
Memory Hook
“U-G-A 2024-25-26” – Uttarakhand (2024), Gujarat (2025), Assam (2026) – the three States with their own UCC statute, in order of enactment. Add Goa (Portuguese-era civil code, not a fresh statute).
For exempt areas: “Six tribes shield Sixth Schedule” – if it’s a Scheduled Tribe or a Sixth Schedule autonomous area, the UCC doesn’t apply.
The Bill now awaits the Governor’s assent (and, given State-vs-Central concurrence on personal law in List III Entry 5, possible Presidential reference). Constitutional challenges – on Article 25/26 grounds, on Sixth Schedule autonomy, and on whether a State can validly legislate the entire field of personal law – are widely expected before the Gauhati High Court and the Supreme Court.
Practice Quiz — 10 CLAT-Style Questions
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