Live-in registration, polygamy ban, ₹25,000 fine: Key provisions in Rajasthan UCC Bill 2026

The Rajasthan Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, approved the Rajasthan Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, 2026 on 13 August. The Bill, aimed at regulating marriage, divorce, succession, and live-in relationships, will be introduced in the upcoming Assembly session.

The UCC Bill proposes a common set of laws governing personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption, replacing separate religious personal laws.

Rajasthan has become the fifth state to come up with a UCC Bill. So far, it has been introduced in four other states: Madhya Pradesh (July 2026), Uttarakhand (March 2026), Gujarat (March 2026), and Assam (May 2026).

In a press statement, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel said the UCC draft was prepared on the recommendations of an expert committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai.

A committee was constituted to study the implementation of similar laws in Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Assam. After examining the provisions in these states, the committee recently submitted its report to the state government, based on which the Bill has been brought, the minister said.

Under the proposed Rajasthan Uniform Civil Code Bill, 2026, marriage registration will be mandatory within 60 days of marriage once the law comes into force. However, failure to register a marriage within the stipulated period will not make the marriage invalid.

Government employees will also be required to submit a marriage registration certificate in their service documents. Action will be taken against those who delay registration, Patel said.

Under the proposed law, registration of all marriages solemnised after its implementation would be mandatory within 60 days and polygamy would be prohibited, Patel said.

While all religions and communities will have complete freedom to solemnise marriages according to their own customs, registration would be mandatory, according to the proposed law.

The Bill also proposes registration or written intimation of the commencement and termination of live-in relationships, aimed at protecting the rights of the parties, Patel said. The Bill has a provision for written notice or registration of the beginning and end of live-in relationships, “which will protect the rights of both parties”.

Minister Patel said in the statement that the Registrar must issue a certificate within 15 days of receiving the memorandum for registration of marriage or divorce, or reject the application in writing.

If the Registrar rejects the application, an appeal may be filed within 30 days before the Registrar General, which must be resolved within 60 days, as per the proposed law.

A marriage will not be considered invalid in case of failure or delay in registration. However, failure to register will result in a fine of up to ₹10,000, and failure to register even after receiving a notice will result in a fine of up to ₹25,000. The Registrar General can also impose a fine of up to ₹25,000 on any Registrar who “deliberately delays or neglects the registration process”.

The proposed lawl establishes a clear judicial process for resolving disputes arising after marriage, according to Patel.

“Clear provisions have been made for the court to declare a marriage void based on reasons including violation of the Code, forced or fraudulent consent, or impotence,” he said in the statement.