The Uniform Civil Code, or UCC, has returned to the centre of India’s political and legal debate. However, the latest push is taking place largely through state legislatures rather than Parliament.The issue gained fresh attention in September 2026 after Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the UCC would be implemented in all 21 National Democratic Alliance-ruled states. This would happen before the 2029 Lok Sabha election.
The statement has brought renewed focus to a basic constitutional question. If personal laws are traditionally associated with different religious communities, how can states introduce a common civil framework?
The answer lies partly in India’s federal structure.
What is a Uniform Civil Code?
A Uniform Civil Code refers to a common set of civil rules governing areas such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, succession and adoption, irrespective of a person’s religion. However, India currently does not have one uniform personal law covering all citizens.
Different communities are governed by different statutory and customary arrangements in several areas of family and personal law. However, the Constitution specifically refers to the idea of a common civil code.
Article 44, part of the Directive Principles of State Policy, says that the State should endeavour to secure a uniform civil code for citizens throughout India. Directive Principles are constitutional goals for governance, but they are not directly enforceable in court in the same way as fundamental rights. This creates an important distinction.
Article 44 provides a constitutional objective, but it does not itself establish a UCC.
Why can states legislate on the issue?
The constitutional division of legislative powers is central to understanding the current state-by-state approach.
The Seventh Schedule places several subjects connected with personal law in the Concurrent List.
Entry 5 specifically covers marriage and divorce, adoption, wills, intestacy and succession, joint families and partition, among other matters involving personal law.
Both Parliament and state legislatures can therefore legislate on subjects in the Concurrent List, subject to constitutional limitations.
This gives states an important route to introduce their own civil-law frameworks.
The result is that a state does not necessarily have to wait for Parliament to pass a nationwide UCC. States can change the rules governing personal civil matters within their jurisdiction.
That is why the recent UCC debate is increasingly a debate about federalism as well as personal law.
Uttarakhand became the first major test
Uttarakhand provides the clearest example of how a state-level UCC works in practice. The state Assembly passed its UCC Bill in February 2024, and the Act was notified in March that year.
The state subsequently issued detailed rules in 2025.The framework covers areas including marriage, divorce, inheritance, succession and live-in relationships.
The state’s official UCC portal provides separate procedures for marriage registration, divorce or nullity, live-in relationships, succession and wills. Additionally, the framework has also continued to be amended.
Uttarakhand’s official government portal lists a 2026 amendment to the UCC Act as well as earlier amendments and ordinances.
This makes Uttarakhand an important case study because the debate is no longer theoretical there.
The state has moved from legislation to administration and implementation.
Gujarat has taken its own route
Gujarat has also moved towards a state-level UCC.
The state government constituted a committee headed by retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai to examine the need for a UCC and recommend its framework.
The committee reviewed existing personal laws, judicial decisions and practices in other jurisdictions before recommending a uniform framework, according to the government’s Bill.
The proposed framework covers areas including marriage, divorce, succession and adoption.
The Gujarat model illustrates another feature of the debate. States can design their legislative process around local consultations and their own legal circumstances instead of waiting for a single national law.
Assam adds a new dimension
Assam became another significant state in the debate in 2026.
The Assam Legislative Assembly introduced the Uniform Civil Code, Assam Bill, 2026, in May.
The Assembly’s official records list the legislation among the Bills introduced during the 2026 session.
The Bill addresses marriage, divorce, succession and live-in relationships. It also proposes restrictions on polygamy and provisions relating to registration.
The legislation excludes Scheduled Tribes from its scope. The Assam government has said the exemption is intended to protect tribal communities and their customary practices.
This is significant because it shows that a state-level UCC does not necessarily mean that every community and every customary practice is regulated in exactly the same way.
Why is the state route important?
The state route allows India to see how different UCC models operate before a possible nationwide framework is considered.
Uttarakhand provides an implementation example. Gujarat has developed its own legislative framework, while Assam has moved through its Assembly in 2026.
These approaches can produce evidence about administrative costs, registration systems, legal disputes and public response.
They can also reveal differences between states.
A national UCC would have to operate across India’s much larger legal and social landscape.
State-level legislation therefore provides an opportunity to observe how common civil rules interact with local customs and institutions.
At the same time, multiple state laws could create another layer of complexity if their provisions differ substantially.
The debate is now bigger than one law
India’s UCC debate is no longer limited to the question of whether the country should have a common civil code.
It now involves a second question: who should make that code and how should it be implemented?
The Constitution gives states legislative authority over important personal-law subjects.
Article 44 provides a broader constitutional objective, while fundamental rights place limits on how laws can be framed.
The developments in Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Assam show three stages of the emerging state-level approach: implementation, legislative development and expansion.
As more states consider similar measures, the legal differences between state frameworks will become increasingly important.
So will court decisions, administrative experience and the treatment of customary and religious practices.
For now, the UCC remains a constitutional objective, a state legislative experiment and a major political issue at the same time.
Its eventual shape will depend not only on political announcements, but also on legislation, implementation and constitutional scrutiny.
Umar Khan is a writer driven by curiosity and a passion for understanding the world. Through thoughtful analysis and evocative storytelling, he seeks to make complex ideas accessible, inspire meaningful conversations, and encourage fresh perspectives on the people, places, and issues that shape our shared future.
