Asaduddin Owaisi slams Assam's UCC Act: 'Backdoor of Hindu law on Muslims'

AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi has strongly criticized the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill introduced in the Assam Assembly. A Member of Parliament in Hyderabad called the proposed law a “backdoor” of Hindu law on Muslims.

Owaisi argued that Hindu principles are imposed on inheritance, inheritance and divorce. “Only Hindu culture is protected, while Muslims have to follow these so-called uniform rules,” he said in a May 25 post on X.

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The Assam government on Monday introduced the Uniform Civil Code Bill – ‘The Uniform Civil Code, Assam Act, 2026’ – seeking to ban polygamy and make registration of live-in relationships mandatory.

The bill, however, said it would not apply to any of the Scheduled Tribes residing in Assam.

“The bill is intended to consolidate and simplify laws governing marriage, divorce, succession and live-in relationships,” said Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

In order to ensure legal rights, the bill proposes to make marriage and divorce registration mandatory, which will be essential to ensure alimony, inheritance and other legal protections for spouses.

Sarma said the UCC aims to modernize inheritance laws to ensure fair and equal distribution of property.

But according to Owaisi, the Assam Uniform Civil Code is “not uniform”.

“It completely excludes tribal communities from the coverage of the UCC. Every community has the right to protect its culture under Article 29, but why is only tribal autonomy protected? This is the introduction of a law that no one wants. The Constituent Assembly did not envisage a mandatory UCC,” he said.

The AIMIM chief further said in Islam, no one can exclude an heir from inheritance.

“No one can write a will to give all his property to one son or deny inheritance to his daughter. This UCC allows anyone to write a will and deny his daughters their fair share. This is not a fair sex law,” he argued.

What the law says about housing, polygamy

The proposed bill prohibits polygamy while establishing a standardized legal age of 21 for grooms and 18 for brides.

“Crucially, the legislation protects cultural diversity by providing full freedom of ritual, allowing marriage through any existing religious ceremony or custom, including Vedic Bibah, Ahom Chaklong, Saptapadi, Ashirvad, Nikah, Holy Union, Anand Karaj,” the Assam Information Center said in a statement.

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The bill further proposes nationwide registration of all marriages and divorces and requires couples to submit a memorandum to the sub-registrar within 60 days of the ceremony. Notably, the bill also establishes uniform grounds for divorce and ensures that children under the age of five stay with their mothers.

“The bill further codifies uniform grounds for divorce – such as cruelty, desertion or mutual consent – and ensures that early childhood custody of children under the age of five usually remains with the mother,” the statement said.

Regarding living relationshipsthe bill proposes regulations mandating the registration of these couples within one month.

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Completely exempts tribal communities from UCC coverage. Every community has the right to protect its culture under Article 29, but why is only tribal autonomy protected?

“It protects vulnerable individuals by declaring that every child born in a live-in relationship is fully legitimate and by giving the abandoned live-in partner an express legal standing to exercise the right financial maintenance through the courts,” the statement said.