Gujarat UCC has the President's assent but is not yet in force

President Droupadi Murmu has given assent to the Gujarat Uniform Civil Code Bill 2026. A Gujarat Gazette Extraordinary dated 1 October 2026 records that the assent was given on 17 September. PTI, Indian Express and The Economic Times report that record. Indian Express is dated 3 October. The Economic Times is dated 2 October. This note is NP EXPLAINS. The assent, as those reports and the Gazette give it, is verified. The Act is not yet in force.

Gujarat is the second state after Uttarakhand to enact a Uniform Civil Code. The Economic Times, NDTV and Hindustan Times report that. NDTV and Hindustan Times are dated 2 October.

The Act comes into force only on a date the state government notifies. No such date had been announced when this was checked again on 5 October 2026, at about 8:10 am IST. Departments are reportedly drafting the rules. The Times of India, The Economic Times and Deccan Chronicle with PTI are among the reports of that position. The body of those accounts also names The New Indian Express on the drafting. This note does not treat a draft rule as a notified start date.

The law covers marriage, divorce, succession and live-in relationships. It applies to residents of Gujarat, including those living outside the state. Once it is in force, marriages are to be registered within 60 days. The fine for not submitting that registration is up to Rs 10,000. The minimum age of marriage is 21 for men and 18 for women. PTI, NDTV and The Economic Times report those provisions. They are not in force today, because no start date has been notified.

Scheduled Tribes are exempt. So are groups whose customary rights are protected under Part XXI of the Constitution. PTI and Indian Express report those exemptions. The law is largely based on the Uttarakhand model. It follows a committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Desai. Indian Express and The Economic Times report that lineage. This note does not retell the Uttarakhand code.

The Gujarat Assembly passed the Bill on 24 March, after a debate of about seven to eight hours. Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party opposed it, and they sought a select committee. PTI reported that vote and that demand. Hindustan Times reported a remark by Congress's Amit Chavda: he said the law would yield no benefit to tribal, Dalit or OBC citizens. That sentence is his claim. It is not a finding recorded here.

What remains open is the start date, and the rules. Separately, and only as Hindustan Times reports it, Assam's UCC Bill also received assent on 29 September. This note does not add anything else about Assam.

Neutral Politics checked these outlets on 5 October 2026 (IST). The morning re-check, at about 8:10 am IST, still found no notified start date. This note was posted at 8:13 am IST.

The cover uses illustrative stock from Pixabay, of law books and of a gavel, blurred and darkened. It is a Neutral Politics graphic over that background. It is not a photograph of the Gazette, the Assembly, or this assent.

What's next

The state has not announced the date on which the Act begins. Until that notification, the registration rule and the fine are not in force.