Trinamool MLA stages walkout from Assam Assembly over Uniform Civil Code bill

Guwahati: Trinamool Congress MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed staged a walkout from the Assam Assembly on May 27 to protest the state's proposed Uniform Civil Code Bill. Ahmed accused the BJP-led government of introducing the legislation with malicious intent, arguing that certain clauses infringe upon constitutional protections and religious principles.

The Assam government tabled the bill earlier this week to create a common legal framework for marriage, divorce, succession, and live-in relationships across all religions. The proposal seeks to ban polygamy, with penalties of up to seven years in prison, and mandates the registration of live-in relationships under threat of a three-month jail term.

While Ahmed expressed openness to aspects of the bill, such as age requirements for marriage, he raised concerns over the exclusion of Scheduled Tribes from the law. He questioned why the code would not apply to these groups if the goal is to achieve true uniformity. Additionally, he asserted that provisions regarding marriage conflict with his interpretation of the Quran and warned that no electoral mandate should override fundamental rights protected by the Constitution.