Madhya Pradesh assembly passes UCC Bill amid Congress protest

The Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Tuesday passed the Madhya Pradesh Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, 2026 by voice vote amid protests by the opposition Congress.

The Bill, introduced on the opening day of the Monsoon Session, seeks to regulate matters relating to marriage, divorce, inheritance and live-in relationships. It bans polygamy, mandates the registration of marriages, divorces and live-in relationships, and excludes tribal communities from its ambit.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said Madhya Pradesh would become the fourth state to implement a Uniform Civil Code after Goa, Assam and Uttarakhand.

Addressing the House, Yadav said the legislation would prohibit practices such as triple talaq and halala, ensure equal inheritance rights for all children, including biological and adopted children of married and unmarried parents, and strengthen women's rights.

He accused the Congress of opposing the Bill for "Muslim appeasement" and said the party was also anti-tribal despite the legislation exempting tribal communities.

Senior Congress MLA Arif Masood opposed the Bill, claiming it contained several inconsistencies and violated constitutional protections relating to culture and education under Article 29. He urged Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar to refer it to a Select Committee, but the proposal was rejected by voice vote.

Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar said there was no immediate need for a Uniform Civil Code in the state and argued that implementing 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) should be a higher priority. He also supported the demand to send the Bill to a Select Committee.

Congress legislators staged a protest in the House, raising slogans and entering the well, following which the Bill was passed by voice vote.

Yadav said the UCC was intended to ensure equality before the law and claimed that a majority of those who appeared before the committee drafting the Bill, including many Muslims, had supported it.

He said the Bill would be sent to President Droupadi Murmu for assent before becoming law.