Overview
- President Droupadi Murmu gave assent on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, making Gujarat the second state after Uttarakhand to secure formal approval to implement a Uniform Civil Code.
- Gujarat must notify implementing rules before the law takes effect and several other BJP-ruled states that passed similar bills still lack presidential assent or have stalled next steps.
- Four BJP-governed states that have passed UCC laws—Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Assam—include explicit exemptions for Scheduled Tribes, which creates divergent rules across states and weakens claims of uniformity.
- The push is tied to a political timetable: Home Minister Amit Shah has urged all 21 NDA states to adopt state-specific UCCs before the 2029 general election while opposition leaders call the moves politically motivated and anti-Muslim.
- Legal and practical hurdles remain significant because Uttarakhand’s law faces High Court and Supreme Court challenges, the Supreme Court has warned against courts imposing a UCC, and Gujarat’s bill introduces duties such as mandatory marriage registration and penalties that will change how personal status matters are handled.