Owaisi attacks Assam UCC Bill, calls it ‘backdoor imposition’ of Hindu law

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has criticised the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill introduced in the Assam Assembly, alleging that it seeks to impose Hindu legal principles on Muslims through the “backdoor”.

The Hyderabad MP argued that the proposed legislation interferes with Muslim personal laws relating to succession, inheritance and divorce, while selectively protecting the customs of other communities.

In a post on X, Owaisi said that “only Hindu culture is being protected”, while Muslims were being compelled to follow what he described as “so-called uniform rules”.

The Assam government on Monday introduced ‘The Uniform Civil Code, Assam, 2026 Bill’ in the state assembly. The proposed law seeks to prohibit polygamy and make the registration of live-in relationships mandatory.

However, the Bill exempts Scheduled Tribes residing in the state from its provisions.

Presenting the legislation, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the proposed code aims to streamline and simplify laws governing marriage, divorce, succession and live-in relationships.

According to the statement of objects and reasons attached to the Bill, compulsory registration of marriages and divorces is intended to strengthen legal safeguards relating to maintenance, inheritance and other rights of spouses.

The government has also argued that the UCC would modernise succession laws and ensure a fairer distribution of property.

Owaisi, however, contended that the legislation was “not uniform” because tribal communities had been excluded from its ambit.

“Every community has the right to protect its culture under Article 29, but why is only the tribals’ autonomy being protected?” he said, adding that the Constituent Assembly had not envisaged a mandatory UCC.

The AIMIM leader further claimed that the proposed law could adversely affect Muslim inheritance practices. He argued that under Islamic law, heirs cannot be arbitrarily excluded from inheritance, and property cannot be willed entirely to one individual at the expense of others, particularly daughters.

“This UCC allows anyone to write a will and deny their daughters their fair share. This is far from a gender-just law,” he alleged.

With PTI inputs