Rajasthan to introduce Uniform Civil Code, CM Bhajanlal Sharma announces
The Rajasthan Government announced that it is working toward introducing a state Uniform Civil Code (UCC), describing the move as being "in the spirit" of Article 44 of the Constitution.
The proposed Rajasthan Civil Code is intended to bring uniformity to personal law matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, maintenance, and live-in relationships for the state's residents.
Rajasthan joins a small set of states that have moved on a state-level UCC in recent years, following Uttarakhand, which became the first state to enact and notify such a code.
The announcement was made alongside broader statements on infrastructure and economic development goals for the state, with no formal bill text released at the time of the announcement.
Article 44 and the Uniform Civil Code
Article 44 sits in Part IV of the Constitution, under the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP), and states that "the State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a Uniform Civil Code throughout the territory of India." Article 37 makes DPSPs non-justiciable, meaning they cannot be enforced directly by courts, but they are declared "fundamental in the governance of the country" and states are duty-bound to apply them while making laws.
Key Details
- Article 44 falls under DPSPs (Articles 36-51), inserted to guide the State toward socio-economic goals not directly enforceable in court.
- A UCC would replace religion-specific personal laws (e.g. Hindu Marriage Act 1955, Muslim Personal Law/Shariat Application Act 1937, Indian Christian Marriage Act 1872, Special Marriage Act 1954) with one common code for all citizens on matters of marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance, and maintenance.
- The Goa Civil Code, inherited from Portuguese colonial law, has functioned as India's only functioning UCC-like framework since before independence.
- Uttarakhand passed the Uniform Civil Code of Uttarakhand Act in February 2024; it received presidential assent on 12 March 2024 and was notified into force on 27 January 2025 — the first state-level UCC enacted under Article 44 since 1950.
Rajasthan's announcement follows the Uttarakhand precedent and reflects a broader trend of individual states legislating on UCC using their concurrent-list competence over matters like marriage and divorce, rather than waiting for a central law.
Personal Laws and the Concurrent List
Marriage, divorce, and matters of succession fall under Entry 5 of the Concurrent List (List III) of the Seventh Schedule, meaning both Parliament and state legislatures can legislate on them. This is the constitutional basis that allows individual states to enact their own civil codes rather than requiring a central UCC Act.
Key Details
- Entry 5, List III covers "marriage and divorce; infants and minors; adoption; wills, intestacy and succession."
- Because it is a concurrent subject, a state law is valid unless it conflicts with an existing central law, in which case Article 254 governs repugnancy (central law prevails unless the state law has received presidential assent).
- The Law Commission of India examined the UCC question in its 2018 consultation paper, favouring reform of family laws over a single uniform code at that time; the 22nd Law Commission reopened the consultation in 2023.
Rajasthan's proposed code, like Uttarakhand's, would rely on this concurrent-list power and would require presidential assent if it is found to conflict with existing central personal law statutes.
- Article 44 (Uniform Civil Code) is part of the Directive Principles of State Policy, Part IV of the Constitution.
- Uttarakhand's UCC was notified into force on 27 January 2025, making it the first state to implement Article 44 since independence.
- Marriage, divorce, adoption, wills, and succession are listed under Entry 5 of the Concurrent List (Seventh Schedule).
- The Rajasthan Assembly session in which the proposed code was expected to be introduced was scheduled to commence later in August 2026.