Gujarat becomes second state to enforce Uniform Civil Code with compulsory live-in relationship registration

Key facts

• Gujarat has become the second state in India after Uttarakhand to implement a Uniform Civil Code, with the Gujarat Uniform Civil Code, 2026 notified after receiving President Droupadi Murmu's assent on September 17.
• The Act makes marriage registrations mandatory, bans polygamy, mandates equal rights for women in succession and property, and takes a stricter view on child marriages with penal provisions for non-compliance.
• The law mandates registration of live-in relationships, prohibits filing of divorce within one year of marriage, and provides for penalty of up to Rs 10,000 fine or three-month jail term for non-registration of live-in relationships.
• If either live-in partner is below 21 years of age, the guardian or parents of the person would be notified.
• Scheduled tribes of Gujarat are excluded from the Code's purview as their rights and customs are protected by the Constitution of India.
• A five-member committee chaired by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Desai was appointed in February 2025 to draft the Code; Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel introduced the 209-page Bill in March 2025 and the assembly passed it the same month.