Madhya Pradesh UCC Bill: Live-In Couples Face Jail for Not Registering Relationship

The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet on Sunday approved the draft Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, proposing a common civil law for all residents that bans polygamy, criminalises triple talaq, and introduces potential imprisonment for couples in live-in relationships who fail to declare their status.

Under the Bill, couples in a live-in relationship must file a “declaration of live-in relationship” with a registrar within one month of starting to live together. If a partner is under 21, information about the “start and end of the live-in relationship will be sent to their parents or guardians.” The registrar will also send this record to the local police station.

The proposed penalties include three months’ imprisonment or a fine of Rs 10,000 for not registering the declaration within a month. Providing false information can attract three months’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs 25,000. Failing to file the declaration even after a registrar’s notice can lead to up to six months’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs 25,000.

The Bill also addresses children born of live-in relationships, granting them full inheritance rights. If the male partner deserts the woman, she “can claim maintenance through a competent court just as a legal wife would,” according to the Bill.

The code makes monogamy the norm across all communities, allowing a person to be married only to one living spouse at a time. The minimum age for marriage is fixed at 21 years for men and 18 years for women. Marriages involving invalid consent and prohibited relationships (unless permitted by custom) are barred.

Oral divorce or decisions by informal panchayats are “declared entirely illegal.” A marriage can now be dissolved only on the clear, statutory grounds specified in law. “Accepting, promoting, or forcing degrading or humiliating conditions such as ‘nikah halala’ for remarriage to the same spouse after divorce will be treated as a punishable criminal offence,” the Bill states.

Keeping in mind the sizeable population of Scheduled Tribes, the Bill proposes that the law would not apply to communities covered under Articles 342 and 366(25) of the Constitution, such as the Bhil, Gond, Korku, Baiga, Sahariya, and Bharia tribes.

The Bill also seeks to extend protection to children, proposing to ban the word “illegitimate” and give every child equal legal status. Sons and daughters are given equal rights to inherit property, regardless of marital status. Widows and widowers will also be treated equally in the deceased’s property.

The draft legislation is expected to be introduced in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly during the Monsoon Session beginning Monday. The move fulfils one of the BJP’s long-standing ideological commitments and a promise repeatedly made by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav after taking office in December 2023. Yadav had constituted a committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Desai to prepare the draft, describing the UCC as essential for ensuring gender justice, equality before law, and women’s empowerment. The committee submitted its report to the government earlier this month, paving the way for the cabinet’s approval.