President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to the Gujarat Uniform Civil Code Bill, 2026, clearing the key constitutional step for the law, according to Rashtrapati Bhavan records.

The President granted assent on September 17. The law was then published in the Gujarat Government Gazette on October 1 as the Gujarat Uniform Civil Code, 2026, or Gujarat Act No. 15 of 2026.

The Gujarat Assembly had passed the Bill in March after a debate lasting more than seven hours. Gujarat is the second state after Uttarakhand to adopt a UCC.

The code creates a common legal framework for marriage, divorce, succession and live-in relationships across religious communities. It requires registration of marriages and live-in relationships.

Members of Scheduled Tribes are excluded from the code. The law will apply across Gujarat and to state residents living outside its borders.

The law does not take effect on its own. The state government must still issue a notification fixing the date it comes into force, and frame the rules to run it.

The Congress has criticised the law. State Congress chief Amit Chavda said the government should have consulted communities first and accused it of diverting attention from issues like unemployment and inflation.