Overview
- The state government formally tabled the Madhya Pradesh Uniform Civil Code Bill in the Legislative Assembly on July 20, 2026, and opposition members responded with loud protests.
- The draft declares monogamy the only valid marriage form, grants equal inheritance to sons and daughters, recognises children from marriage, adoption, surrogacy and live‑in unions, and makes marriage and divorce registration mandatory.
- The bill requires couples in live‑in relationships to register within one month and creates penalties for non‑compliance, including fines, short jail terms and up to five years' imprisonment for a married person entering a live‑in relationship while the spouse lives.
- The text was prepared by a committee led by retired Supreme Court Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai after about 9.5–10 lakh submissions in a state consultation that the government says showed roughly 93% support.
- The explicit exemption for Scheduled Tribes and some PVTGs has become a central political and legal fault line that will shape Assembly scrutiny and likely court challenges while the law could change how women access property, custody and maintenance rights across the state.