Mandatory Live-In And Marriage Registration, Judicial Divorce, Polygamy Ban: Madhya Pradesh Assembly Passes Uniform Civil Code Bill
Married men entering live-in relationships would face 5-year jail term.
The Madhya Pradesh Assembly on Tuesday (July 21) passed the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill 2026, becoming the fourth state after Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Assam to have passed UCC.
The Bill now awaits the Governor's assent before it can come into force.
While speaking at the Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav laid out the UCC's structure across “four pillars”– marriage, divorce, succession, and live-in relationships.
He said that citizens' religious ceremonies, rituals, traditions, and customs will continue as before and that there will be no interference.
As per the CM's speech, the minimum age for marriage (21 years for men and 18 years for women) and a complete ban on polygamy would apply uniformly to all, regardless of the religion.
The Code makes marriage registration compulsory, failure of which would attract a fine, he said, adding that now divorces can take place only through legal proceedings.
"No one will be able to enter into arbitrary marriages and divorces outside the jurisdiction of the court," he said. Yadav further said that live-in relationships will now have to be registered with the government, and that a married man who deceives his wife and enters into a live-in relationship would face a 5-year jail term.
On inheritance provisions, the CM said, “Daughters and sons will have equal rights in the ancestral property. Legally, the women's property will also be transferred in the same manner as that of men. This is a right to equality for mothers and sisters.”
The code however exempts Scheduled Tribes and specific communities protected by customary practices from its provisions, Yadav said.
He also said that over 1,164 suggestions were collected, and that the Bill has received support from 93% of the state's citizens.
Congress MLA Arif Masood objected to the Bill and sought referral to a Select Committee.
The bill was drafted by the seven-member UCC committee, headed by former Supreme Court Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai.