Legal scholars raised constitutional questions about Assam’s proposed Uniform Civil Code provisions, including a ban on polygamy and mandatory registration requirements for live-in relationships. Commentators said the draft framework could test the balance between legislative reform of personal laws and fundamental rights guarantees under India’s Constitution.
Polygamy restrictions have long been debated in states seeking uniform family law codes, with proponents arguing that gender equality requires ending plural marriage practices. Critics counter that sweeping bans without broad community consultation may invite challenges on religious freedom and cultural autonomy grounds.
The live-in registration mandate drew particular scrutiny from privacy advocates and family law experts. They questioned whether requiring couples to notify authorities formalizes relationships in ways that expose women to surveillance or social pressure without equivalent protections in inheritance and maintenance law.
Assam’s government has framed the bill as modernization aligned with national policy discussions on civil code uniformity. Constitutional lawyers said courts may eventually weigh whether state-level enactments can impose registration regimes that differ from personal law systems still recognized elsewhere in the country.
Parliamentary and public debate is expected to intensify as the bill moves through legislative committees. Legal institutes are preparing comparative analyses of how similar provisions have fared in other jurisdictions that attempted to regulate cohabitation through mandatory disclosure.
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Sources:
https://www.freejobalert.com/articles/daily-current-affairs-26-may-2026-10240