Overview
- The All India Muslim Personal Law Board, which denounced the Gujarat bill Friday, said it will file a case in the Gujarat High Court.
- After a debate lasting more than seven hours, the Gujarat Assembly passed the measure that now awaits the governor’s assent and covers marriage, divorce, succession and live-in relationships.
- The bill makes coerced or fraudulent marriages punishable by up to seven years in jail, outlaws bigamy and polygamy, and requires registration of marriages and live-in relationships.
- Opponents, including AIMPLB and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, argue the law violates religious freedom and is not truly uniform because Scheduled Tribes and protected areas are exempt.
- BJP leaders are pressing similar codes in Assam, with Union minister Giriraj Singh promising “One Nation, One Law” and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma pledging a state UCC that excludes Sixth Schedule and tribal regions, while Uttarakhand’s earlier UCC already faces High Court review.