Overview
- The Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly passed the Madhya Pradesh Uniform Civil Code Bill by voice vote on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, after heated debate and protests from Congress MLAs who sought referral to a select committee.
- The Bill makes monogamy the only legally valid marital form, criminalises Triple Talaq and Nikah Halala, requires mandatory registration of marriages and divorces, and grants equal inheritance rights to sons, daughters, widows and widowers.
- The text excludes Scheduled Tribes and certain nomadic or semi-nomadic communities from its scope, a carve-out the government says protects tribal culture while opponents say it undermines the Bill’s claim to full uniformity.
- The ruling BJP framed passage as a move for women’s equality and legal clarity, while the Congress accused the government of rushing the measure, raising constitutional concerns and staging loud protests that disrupted proceedings.
- Next steps include sending the Bill to the President for assent before it becomes law and an expectation of legal challenges and sustained political mobilisation despite the government’s claim of wide public consultation led by the Desai committee.