The Gujarat government has introduced a bill to replace religion-specific personal laws with a Uniform Civil Code, aiming to bring uniformity, gender justice, and simplification to personal laws across the state.
The proposed Gujarat Uniform Civil Code, 2026, will cover marriage, divorce, succession, live-in relationships, and related matters for all residents of the state, except those belonging to Scheduled Tribes or groups with protected customary rights.
The code will apply to the state and its residents, including those born in Gujarat, owning property there, employed by state or central government bodies, or having lived in the state for the last ten years.
The bill also requires registration of live-in relationships, with consequences for non-registration, false declarations, and prohibited arrangements.
Couples must submit a statement to a registrar, who will verify that the relationship does not involve a minor, a person already married, or persons within prohibited degrees of relationship.
The code introduces a framework for succession, placing spouses, children, and parents as the first class of heirs, and covers both inheritance without a will and inheritance through a will.
