Assam forms 8-member panel to draft Uniform Civil Code rules

The Assam government has set up an eight-member committee to draft the rules needed to put its Uniform Civil Code (UCC) into effect, even as the Bill passed by the state Assembly waits for the President's assent.

The committee has been given one month from the date of the notification to submit draft rules to the Political (A) department, according to the order made public on Thursday, October 29.

Who is on the committee

Deba Prasad Misra, Secretary of the Home and Political departments, will chair the panel. The other members are:

• Partha Pratim Majumdar, Special Commissioner and Secretary, Finance department
• Geetanjali D Saikia, Secretary, Legislative department
• Farida Samsul, Secretary, Welfare of Minorities and Development department
• Makhan Phukan, Director of Prosecution, Assam
• Mridul Kumar Das, Additional Secretary, Home and Political departments
• Monjit Kr Das, Assistant Inspector General of Registration, Assam

Tapash Gupta, Deputy Secretary in the Home and Political department, will be member-secretary.

Where the Bill stands

The Assam Legislative Assembly passed the Uniform Civil Code Bill, Assam, 2026, on May 27. An order dated October 13 from Additional Chief Secretary Ajay Tewari of the Home and Political department said the Bill had been sent to the Centre for presidential assent.

Assam is the third state to pass a UCC Bill, after Uttarakhand and Gujarat. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma called the law "historic" after it cleared the Assembly.

What the law proposes

The Bill sets out a common legal framework for marriage, divorce, succession and live-in relationships for all residents regardless of religion. Its main provisions, as passed, include:

• a ban on polygamy, with bigamy or polygamy punishable by up to seven years in jail
• compulsory registration of live-in relationships, with up to three months in jail for failing to register

Members of the Scheduled Tribes living in Assam are kept outside the law's scope.

Why the rules matter

A law of this kind cannot be enforced on the ground until rules spell out the details, such as how marriages and live-in relationships are to be registered, which officials handle registration, what forms and fees apply, and how complaints will be processed. Setting up the rules committee now means Assam could move to implementation soon after the Bill receives assent, rather than starting the drafting process afterwards.

The government has not announced a date for the UCC to take effect.