Overview
- Madhya Pradesh’s chief minister, who directed the Home Department on Tuesday, set a process in motion to draft a UCC bill with a retired judge–led committee and a target to pass it by end-2026.
- State officials signal that Scheduled Tribes in Madhya Pradesh are likely to be exempt, following the approach used in Uttarakhand and Gujarat.
- Tribal leaders warned of statewide protests if included under the code and cited protections under PESA and the Constitution’s Fifth and Sixth Schedules, while Congress demanded broad consultations.
- Uttarakhand’s UCC remains hard to enforce in police work because the national Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems lacks the new sections pending a software update, forcing officers to use other laws instead.
- Gujarat passed a UCC bill in March 2026 and Goa has long used a common civil code, as the debate gained fresh national attention after the Chief Justice suggested a uniform code could help fix disparities that harm women.