The Rajasthan Cabinet on Thursday (August 13, 2026) approved the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill and the Trees (Protection) Bill, ahead of the imposition of the model code of conduct for the coming panchayat and local body elections. Rajasthan is the fifth Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled State to initiate action for enactment of the UCC.

Both the Bills would be introduced in the Assembly’s monsoon session beginning on August 20, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel said at a press conference in Jaipur. The UCC Bill seeks to provide a uniform legal framework for marriage, divorce, inheritance, maintenance and live-in relationships, while the Bill on trees proposes special protection for 29 tree species, including khejri, which is the State tree.

After its enactment, the UCC will prohibit polygamy and make the registration of marriage and divorce mandatory within 60 days. The provisions for inheritance will establish equal property rights for sons and daughters across all religions, irrespective of their personal laws.

Mr. Patel said the proposed legislation would allow marriages to be solemnised according to the customs and traditions of different religions and communities, such as Saptapadi, Nikah, Anand Karaj and Holy Union. The UCC would not be applicable to the Scheduled Tribes and the classes which had their customary rights protected under the Constitution, the Minister said.

Public consultations

The State government had recently formed a high-level committee, headed by former Supreme Court Judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, to draft the legislative framework for the UCC. The committee held a series of public consultations at the division-level amid protests by the Opposition Congress and civil rights groups, which pointed to its failure to release a draft legislation in the public domain.

While the minority organisations said the UCC would make an adverse impact on the State’s social fabric and violate the citizens’ right to practice their religion, the civil rights groups accused the BJP government of targeting Muslims after the recent introduction of the anti-conversion law.

According to political analysts, the UCC has been a key part of the BJP’s ideological agenda and appeals to its support base. The move to bring in the UCC was perceived as the BJP government’s effort to align with the Centre’s strategy to push for the issues involving religious identity, which provide the party with an additional political edge.

However, Mr. Patel affirmed that the UCC Bill was being brought in the spirit of Article 44 of the Constitution as an “ideal and progressive” law which would meet the State’s specific needs. “The draft legislation has been prepared based on the recommendations of the expert committee to bring uniformity and transparency to the laws governing family-related matters,” he said.

The Bill has proposed registration or written intimation of the commencement and termination of live-in relationships, aimed at protecting the rights of the parties. Besides, a priority order has been laid down for succession in cases where a person dies without a will. A grandson will retain rights to property in circumstances where his father dies before his grandfather.

Mr. Patel said a fine of ₹10,000 would be imposed for failure to register a marriage and a fine of ₹25,000 levied for ignoring a notice regarding the same. While laying down a judicial process for resolving matrimonial disputes, the Bill has made provisions for declaring a marriage void on the grounds of UCC’s violation, consent obtained by coercion or fraud, or impotence.

While the Uttarakhand Government enacted a UCC law in February 2024, Gujarat and Assam launched similar initiatives shortly thereafter. Madhya Pradesh has constituted a committee for the purpose, while Rajasthan is the fifth to follow suit. The West Bengal Government is also set to table the UCC Bill in the Assembly.

Among other decisions, the State Cabinet meeting, presided over by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, approved an operations policy for rural water supply schemes, gave a two-year relaxation in the requisite experience for promotions during 2026-27 for government employees, and endorsed the allotment of industrial land for renewable energy projects in Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Barmer.

Published - August 13, 2026 09:29 pm IST