Overview
- The Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly passed the Madhya Pradesh Uniform Civil Code Bill by voice vote on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, after the state cabinet approved the draft on July 19.
- Key provisions make monogamy the only legally valid form of marriage, criminalise practices such as triple talaq and nikah halala, and require mandatory registration of marriages, divorces and live-in relationships.
- The Bill grants equal inheritance rights to children from marriage, live-in relationships, adoption, surrogacy and assisted reproductive technology and removes the label of 'illegitimate' from such children.
- The law excludes Scheduled Tribes and some nomadic or customary communities from its scope and prescribes penalties including fines and prison terms of up to five years for specified offences tied to live-in relationships and multiple marriages.
- Opposition Congress MLAs demanded a select committee review and vowed further legal and political challenge, while the government will now send the Bill to the President for assent before it can be implemented and will need new registrars and enforcement capacity to operate.