MP govt tables Uniform Civil Code Bill amid opposition uproar in Assembly

In a latest development on the opening day of the Monsoon Session of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Monday the state government introduced the muchanticipated Madhya Pradesh Uniform Civil Code UCC Bill Higher Education Minister Gautam Tetwal tabled the bill in the House triggering a massive uproar from opposition partiesChief Minister Mohan Yadavled cabinet had given approval for the introduction of the Bill terming it a ldquohistoric moverdquo towards ensuring equality and uniformity in personal lawsAlong with the UCC Bill a total of 14 bills were introduced including the Dhanvantari University Bill Fire Services Bill Ease of Doing Business Bill and Cess Amendment BillAssembly Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar informed the House that these bills would be taken up for detailed discussion during the session Details were provided in the ldquosupplementary list of businessrdquoThe UCC Bill seeks to bring uniform rules for marriage divorce adoption and inheritance replacing religionspecific personal laws Key provisions include a ban on polygamy and lsquoTriple Talaqrsquo mandatory registration of marriages and livein relationships and equal inheritance rights for sons daughters widows widowers and parents Children born out of livein relationships will be considered legitimate with inheritance rightsThe Bill also provides for maintenance rights to women in livein relationships if abandoned and action against those who desert their parents Marriages solemnised through traditional customs such as Saptapadi Nikah Anand Karaj and Arya Samaj rites will remain validHowever the bill proposes to criminalise practices like Nikah Halala Marriages solemnised through force fraud or concealment of facts may be declared voidable Divorce can be sought on grounds including cruelty adultery desertion and mental disorder with provisions for mutual consent divorce after reconciliation efforts failThe Bill mandates transparent adoption processes and stipulates that a person convicted of murdering a property owner cannot inherit that property It establishes a system of Registrars and a Registrar General for registration of marriages divorces and related matters with penalties for false declarations or tampering with recordsImportantly the tribal community has been exempted from the UCCThe bill clarifies that it does not abolish religious marriage practices but creates a uniform legal framework for their consequences The draft of the UCC Bill was prepared by a sevenmember committee headed by former Supreme Court Justice Retired Ranjana Prakash DesaiThe committee was constituted on April 27 2026 and gathered suggestions from over 10 lakh people through consultations and a web portal before finalising recommendationsThe government is calling it a major step towards social reform and gender justice However the oppositionrsquos strong protest indicates that the Bill is likely to witness intense debate in the coming daysThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever