President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to the Gujarat Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, 2026, completing a key constitutional step for the state’s proposed common framework governing personal civil matters. According to the official Rashtrapati Bhavan record, the President assented to the Gujarat Bill on September 17, 2026. The legislation was passed by the Gujarat Legislative Assembly in March and was subsequently reserved for the President’s consideration. With the assent, the Bill has cleared the presidential approval stage, although its provisions will come into force only after the Gujarat government issues the required notification and operational rules.

The Gujarat legislation seeks to establish a uniform legal framework covering areas including marriage, divorce, succession and inheritance, and related civil matters. The Bill also provides for compulsory registration of marriages and contains provisions concerning live-in relationships. Its stated objective is to create a common framework for citizens of the state irrespective of religion, caste, creed or gender. However, the legislation specifically provides for the non-applicability of the code to Scheduled Tribes and certain other groups. The Bill was introduced after a committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai examined existing personal laws and recommended a Uniform Civil Code for Gujarat.

The Bill was passed by the Gujarat Assembly on March 24, 2026, following its introduction by the state government. The legislation provides for rules governing the solemnisation and registration of marriages, registration of divorce and nullity decrees, and the appointment of officials responsible for registration. It also lays down procedures and penalties relating to registration requirements. The Gujarat government's stated rationale is that a common civil framework would address matters of personal law through uniform statutory provisions. The legislation, however, remains subject to the exemptions and conditions specified in its text.

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The presidential assent means the Gujarat legislation has crossed the constitutional approval stage applicable to the Bill. It does not, by itself, mean that every provision is immediately operational. The Bill's commencement clause provides that the code will come into force on a date appointed by the Gujarat government through a notification in the official Gazette. The state will therefore need to complete the administrative process and notify the rules and commencement date before the provisions can be implemented. This distinction is significant because presidential assent and actual enforcement are separate stages in the legislative process.

Uttarakhand remains the first state to have enacted a comprehensive Uniform Civil Code at the state level. Gujarat had initially been described as the second state after Uttarakhand in reports following its presidential assent. However, the latest official Rashtrapati Bhavan records show that the Uniform Civil Code, Assam, 2026, received presidential assent on September 29, 2026, after Gujarat's Bill had received assent on September 17. Assam's approval therefore needs to be taken into account when describing Gujarat's position among states that have secured presidential assent for UCC legislation.

The development nevertheless marks an important step in Gujarat's UCC process, with the focus now shifting from legislative approval to implementation. The state government will have to establish the administrative mechanisms required under the legislation and specify when the code will take effect. The Gujarat Bill covers several areas of personal civil law, including marriage, divorce and succession, while providing exemptions for specified groups. With presidential assent now officially recorded, the next significant stage will be the Gujarat government's notification of the rules and commencement date.

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