Rajasthan moved closer to rewriting its personal law landscape on Thursday, 13 August 2026, as the state cabinet — chaired by Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma — approved the draft of 'The Rajasthan Uniform Civil Code Bill-2026', invoking the spirit of Article 44 of the Indian Constitution. The decision makes Rajasthan the second BJP-governed state to formally advance UCC legislation, following Uttarakhand's landmark 2024 enactment.

What the cabinet approved — and what Article 44 demands

Article 44, a Directive Principle of State Policy enshrined in the Constitution since 1950, directs the state to 'endeavour to secure for the citizens a Uniform Civil Code throughout the territory of India.' The Rajasthan cabinet's approval of the bill draft is a formal step toward translating that directive into enforceable law. A UCC, once enacted, would replace religion-specific personal laws governing marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption with a single common framework applicable to all citizens regardless of faith.

The Chief Minister's Office announced the decision on X, stating the draft was approved 'bharatiya samvidhan ke anuchchhed 44 ki bhavna ke anurup' — 'in consonance with the spirit of Article 44 of the Indian Constitution.'

Uttarakhand blazed the trail; Rajasthan follows

Uttarakhand became the first Indian state to pass a UCC in February 2024, a milestone that gave the BJP a working model and political momentum. Rajasthan's cabinet clearance signals that the party intends to replicate and expand that template across states it governs. CM Bhajanlal Sharma, who took office in December 2023, has now put UCC at the centre of his administration's legislative agenda.

The bill draft must next be introduced and debated in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly. That floor debate will be the real test — of the bill's specific provisions, of opposition resistance, and of how Rajasthan's religiously diverse communities respond to a code that would override personal law traditions held for generations.

The road into the assembly — and the debates waiting there

Cabinet approval is the beginning, not the end. Legal scholars and civil society groups have historically raised questions about the constitutional interplay between a state-level UCC and central legislative authority, as well as the rights of Scheduled Tribes whose customary laws may intersect with any uniform code. Whether the Rajasthan bill addresses these fault lines will become clear only when the full draft enters public view. What is already clear: the political stakes are high, and the legislative clock is now running.