HYDERABAD: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi criticised the Uniform Civil Code Bill introduced in the Assam Assembly and accused the state government of imposing Hindu legal principles on Muslims through the proposed law.
In a statement posted on X, the Hyderabad MP described the Assam Uniform Civil Code as a “backdoor imposition” of Hindu law on Muslims. He argued that the Bill interferes with Muslim personal laws related to succession, inheritance, and divorce.
The Assam government tabled “The Uniform Civil Code, Assam, 2026 Bill” in the Assembly on Monday. The proposed legislation seeks to ban polygamy and make registration of live-in relationships compulsory. The Bill also proposes mandatory registration of marriages and divorces.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that the law aims to simplify rules governing marriage, divorce, succession, and live-in relationships. He said compulsory registration would help secure maintenance rights, inheritance claims, and legal protection for spouses.
The Bill excludes Scheduled Tribes residing in Assam from its scope. Owaisi questioned this exemption and said the law was not truly uniform.
He stated that every community holds the right to protect its culture under Article 29 of the Constitution. He asked why tribal autonomy was protected while Muslims were expected to follow rules they did not support.
Owaisi also raised concerns over inheritance provisions. He said Islamic law does not permit excluding heirs from inheritance. According to him, the proposed law allows property owners to deny daughters their rightful share through wills.
