Budget Session of 16th Assam Legislative Assembly to begin on July 6

It stated that the Assam Governor, Lakshman Prasad Acharya, passed the order under Clause (1) of Article 174 of the Constitution, which allows the Governor to summon the House.

The notification stated that the budget session will begin at 9:30 A.M. on July 6 at the Assembly Chamber in Dispur.

Earlier, the Assam Assembly on May 27 passed a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill after a marathon debate between the BJP-led NDA and the opposition parties. The bill seeks to establish a single civil legal framework to govern marriage, divorce, succession and live-in relationships irrespective of religion.

With this, Assam has become the first state in the Northeast and the third Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state in the country to pass such legislation, after Uttarakhand and Gujarat. Though Goa also has common civil law since the Portuguese colonial rule.

The bill prohibits polygamy, while setting a standardised legal age of 21 years for grooms and 18 years for brides. It proposes mandatory registration of marriages and live-in relationships, while setting defined timelines and penalties for non-compliance.

"The legislation safeguards cultural diversity by granting full freedom of ritual, allowing marriages to be solemnised through any existing religious ceremony or custom, including Vedic Bibah, Ahom Chaklong, Saptapadi, Ashirvad, Nikah, Holy Union, Anand Karaj," an official statement read.

The UCC Bill was introduced on May 25 in the state assembly, proposing a ban on polygamy and making registration of live-in relationships compulsory. State Cabinet Minister Atul Bora introduced the Uniform Civil Code Assam Bill 2026 in the Assembly on behalf of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

The BJP had promised to bring in the UCC in Assam in its manifesto ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. The state Cabinet had approved the Bill in its first meeting held on the 13th of this month. (ANI)