Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday, 27 May 2026, responded publicly to questions about why the state's proposed Uniform Civil Code excludes tribal communities, arguing that indigenous groups in Assam have long upheld women's dignity through robust customary systems and collective social responsibility.

Context

The Chief Minister's post came in direct response to public debate over the tribal exemption written into #UCCAssam. Sarma stated plainly: 'Our tribal communities have long protected and upheld the dignity of women through strong customary systems and collective social responsibility. There's a lot to learn from them.' The remarks signal that the exemption is a deliberate policy choice, not an oversight or a concession under pressure.

Assam's tribal communities — spread across the hills and plains of the state — are governed by customary laws on personal matters including marriage, inheritance, and land. Many of these communities fall under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which grants autonomous district councils the power to legislate on such matters and shields customary practices from uniform national or state civil law.

Policy Backdrop

Uttarakhand became the first Indian state to pass a state-level Uniform Civil Code in 2024, and its legislation explicitly exempted Scheduled Tribes from its provisions — establishing a template that other BJP-governed states appear to be following. Assam's approach mirrors this model, balancing the party's ideological commitment to legal uniformity with the constitutional and political realities of the Northeast.

The broader pattern across BJP-ruled states has been one of incremental UCC advancement paired with carve-outs for tribal communities under the Sixth Schedule and Article 371. This allows governments to pursue reform without triggering conflict with deeply entrenched customary systems that also carry significant electoral weight in tribal constituencies.

Stakeholders and Impact

The exemption directly affects the tribal communities of Assam, who retain their traditional social frameworks under the proposed code. For women within these communities, the Chief Minister's framing positions customary systems as protective rather than restrictive — a characterisation that is likely to be scrutinised by women's rights advocates and legal scholars.

Non-tribal residents of Assam would fall under the UCC's provisions once enacted, affecting personal law on marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption irrespective of religion. The dual framework — uniform code for some, customary law for others — reflects the constitutional complexity of legislating civil matters in a state as diverse as Assam.

What's Next

The specifics of Assam's UCC draft — including the precise exemption clauses and the scope of communities covered — are yet to be made public in full detail. An Assam Legislative Assembly debate on the bill is expected to test both the legal architecture of the exemption and the political consensus behind it. Observers will also watch whether other Northeast Democratic Alliance (NEDA) states announce similar legislation or parallel exemptions, potentially creating a regional pattern for UCC implementation in tribal-majority areas.

Chief Minister Sarma's public framing of tribal customary law as a model worth emulating — rather than a gap to be filled — suggests the exemption will be defended on normative grounds, not merely as a legal necessity.