'Backdoor imposition of Hindu law on Muslims' Owaisi on Assam's UCC Bill

Hyderabad, May 25 (PTI) AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday criticised the UCC Bill introduced in the Assam assembly, calling it a "backdoor imposition" of Hindu law on Muslims.
    He claimed that Hindu principles are being imposed on succession, inheritance and divorce.

    The Hyderabad MP in a post on 'X' said: "Only Hindu culture is being protected, while Muslims have to comply with these so-called uniform rules."



    The Assam government on Monday tabled a Bill on the Uniform Civil Code--'The Uniform Civil Code, Assam, 2026 Bill', seeking to ban polygamy and make registration of live-in relationships compulsory.

The Bill, however, said that it will not be applicable to any of the Scheduled Tribes residing in Assam.



    "The Bill aims to consolidate and simplify laws governing marriage, divorce, succession, and live-in relationships," Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in its 'Statement of Object and Reasons'.



    To safeguard legal rights, the Bill proposes to make marriage and divorce registration compulsory, which will be vital for securing maintenance, inheritance and other legal protection for spouses.

    Sarma said that the UCC aims to modernise succession laws to ensure a fair and equal distribution of property.

    

    According to Owaisi, the Assam Uniform Civil Code is "not uniform" at all.

    "It completely exempts tribal communities from UCC’s coverage. Every community has the right to protect its culture under Article 29, but why is only the tribals’ autonomy being protected? This is the imposition of a law that no one wants. The constituent assembly did not envision a mandatory UCC," he said.



    The AIMIM chief further said in Islam, no one can exclude an heir from inheritance.

    "No one can write a will to give their whole property to one son or deny their daughter inheritance. This UCC allows anyone to write a will and deny their daughters their fair share. This is far from a gender just law," he claimed.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)