BJP government is committed to implement UCC, said CM Assam

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced in the Assembly on Monday (February 26) that BJP government will introduce the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) from the “front door”, making it clear that the UCC will not replace traditional practices and rituals.
During the debate on the “Assam Healing (Prevention of Evil) Practices Bill 2024”, CM Sarma emphasized that the UCC aims to regulate practices carried out with malice, such as child marriage, Registration of polygamy, inheritance laws and live-in relationships. .
Highlighting the recent passage of a similar bill in the Uttarakhand Assembly, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma reiterated that Assam would become the third state, after Uttarakhand and Gujarat, to implement the UCC with exemptions for tribal communities. Legislation will be made.
Allaying concerns raised by Leader of the Opposition Debbarta Saikia that the proposed legislation to implement the UCC was a backdoor tactic, the Assam chief minister asserted that the government would implement the UCC “upfront” will bring from the door.

The Assam Healing Practices Bill, ultimately passed by a voice vote, aims to eliminate non-scientific healing practices, making “magical healing” by individuals with malicious intent a cognizable and non-bailable offense punishable by imprisonment of up to five years and a fine of up to Rs one lakh.

Reflecting on the opposition’s reaction to repealing the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act 1935, CM Sarma expressed disappointment, particularly regarding child marriage.

He questioned whether the Congress and AIUDF supported marriages of five-six-year-olds and stressed the need for legislation to prohibit child marriage, advocating for legalizing marriages only for girls over 18 and boys over 21.