India civil code push to widen in BJP-led states

India's government is pushing to expand a contentious Uniform Civil Code across states governed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies, with Home Minister Amit Shah saying he expects implementation in all 21 BJP-led National Democratic Alliance states by 2029.

India has a common criminal law, but rules on personal matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance vary according to the customary traditions of different communities and faiths. Replacing those rules with a Uniform Civil Code has long been a goal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP.

At least four states have implemented the code so far. Shah said on September 13: “We have introduced the UCC in several states... I am confident that we will implement it in all 21 states governed by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance by 2029.”

The campaign has raised concern especially among Muslim citizens, who say it would infringe on religious freedoms. Supporters say the code would give Muslim women the same rights as others by ending polygamy, setting equal inheritance rights for sons and daughters, and requiring divorce processes to go through a civil court.

India is majority Hindu and has an estimated 220 million Muslims. Its next national elections are due in 2029, after Modi won a third successive term in 2024 and was forced into a coalition government.