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Bhopal, July 20 (IANS) In a latest development on the opening day of the Monsoon Session of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Monday, the state government introduced the much-anticipated Madhya Pradesh Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill. Higher Education Minister Gautam Tetwal tabled the bill in the House, triggering a massive uproar from opposition parties.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav-led cabinet had given approval for the introduction of the Bill, terming it a “historic move” towards ensuring equality and uniformity in personal laws.

Along with the UCC Bill, a total of 14 bills were introduced, including the Dhanvantari University Bill, Fire Services Bill, Ease of Doing Business Bill, and Cess Amendment Bill.

Assembly Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar informed the House that these bills would be taken up for detailed discussion during the session. Details were provided in the “supplementary list of business.”

The UCC Bill seeks to bring uniform rules for marriage, divorce, adoption, and inheritance, replacing religion-specific personal laws. Key provisions include a ban on polygamy and ‘Triple Talaq’, mandatory registration of marriages and live-in relationships, and equal inheritance rights for sons, daughters, widows, widowers, and parents. Children born out of live-in relationships will be considered legitimate with inheritance rights.

The Bill also provides for maintenance rights to women in live-in relationships if abandoned and action against those who desert their parents. Marriages solemnised through traditional customs such as Saptapadi, Nikah, Anand Karaj, and Arya Samaj rites will remain valid.

However, the bill proposes to criminalise practices like Nikah Halala. Marriages solemnised through force, fraud, or concealment of facts may be declared voidable. Divorce can be sought on grounds including cruelty, adultery, desertion, and mental disorder, with provisions for mutual consent divorce after reconciliation efforts fail.

The Bill mandates transparent adoption processes and stipulates that a person convicted of murdering a property owner cannot inherit that property. It establishes a system of Registrars and a Registrar General for registration of marriages, divorces, and related matters, with penalties for false declarations or tampering with records.

Importantly, the tribal community has been exempted from the UCC.

The bill clarifies that it does not abolish religious marriage practices but creates a uniform legal framework for their consequences. The draft of the UCC Bill was prepared by a seven-member committee headed by former Supreme Court Justice (Retired) Ranjana Prakash Desai.

The committee was constituted on April 27, 2026, and gathered suggestions from over 10 lakh people through consultations and a web portal before finalising recommendations.

The government is calling it a major step towards social reform and gender justice. However, the opposition’s strong protest indicates that the Bill is likely to witness intense debate in the coming days.

–IANS

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Chikkamagaluru (Karnataka), March 25 (IANS) A young woman from Nagaland was found dead under suspicious circumstances in Chikkamagaluru district of Karnataka, on Wednesday.

Her body was discovered hanging at her residence in Aravindnagar, Chikkamagaluru city.

The deceased has been identified as 22-year-old Linsula. According to police, she was working at a resort. Preliminary investigations revealed that she had spoken to a person identified as Kivishe Kinimi for about half an hour prior to the incident. It has also come to light that she had mentioned the names Rajesh and Tejas in her diary.

Lashila Inchugar, connected to Linsula, has filed a complaint at the Basavanahalli police station against Rajesh and Tejas, alleging that they had been harassing her. Police have visited the spot and initiated further investigation.

Meanwhile, police sources confirmed that Linsula had mentioned in her diary that two youths, Rajesh and Tejas, were harassing her. She wrote that the two had begun subjecting her to physical and mental harassment under the pretext of love and a relationship.

Linsula had also noted this in her diary. She bore several responsibilities, including managing her family, taking care of her parents, and looking after their health. Despite facing harassment, she continued working while enduring it, police said.

The diary has been taken into police custody, and her family in Nagaland has been informed. More details are yet to emerge regarding the incident.

On, November 26, 2024, an incident of a 19-year-old woman from Assam, Maya Gogoi being stabbed to death in a Bengaluru hotel had come to light. The decomposed body of Maya Gogoi was found in service apartment that she booked with her boyfriend Aarav Harni. The investigations revealed that the accused boy friend had stayed with Maya Gogoi’s dead body for a day.

As per the police, Harni stabbed Gogoi to death with a knife that he allegedly brought with him and stayed with the body for an entire day before walking out of the rented apartment in the Indiranagar area. Photos showed blood on a blanket and pillows in the room. A yellow nylon rope, that Harni allegedly ordered from a quick commerce site, is also seen on the floor.

During the investigation, the police found out that he had ordered a two-meter nylon rope from the quick commerce site Zepto.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 7 (IANS) Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya M. Scindia will attend the 28th Universal Postal Congress (UPC) in Dubai on Monday (September 8), according to an official statement issued on Sunday.

The Universal Postal Congress, convened every four years, is the highest decision-making body of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), a specialised United Nations agency and the world’s second-oldest intergovernmental organisation, established in 1874. Headquartered in Bern, Switzerland, the UPU sets the framework for international mail exchanges and drives cooperation in postal, parcel and financial services across 192 member nations.

The Dubai Congress is a landmark gathering where member states will deliberate on the UPU’s new Strategy and Business Plan (2026-2029), focusing on digital transformation, resilience and modernisation of postal services in a rapidly evolving global economy. As one of its longest-standing and most active members, the Department of Posts actively participates in the UPU’s efforts to standardise international postal regulations, promote cooperation, and modernise global postal services.

During his visit, Scindia will also hold a series of bilateral meetings with member countries to strengthen international cooperation and advance India’s postal and logistics interests on the global stage, the statement said.

Meanwhile, India’s postal system has now become the world’s largest doorstep banking network, and the humble postman plays the role of the harbinger of financial inclusion.

This week, Scindia highlighted that India Post Office and India Post Payment Bank (IPPB) Online have redefined one of the world’s oldest postal networks into the globe’s largest doorstep banking system.

The minister stated that the Department of Posts, with its network of 160,000 post offices, is writing its growth story. IPPB has quietly become a national pioneer by ensuring the digitalisation of all its rural accounts. By integrating technology, expanding partnerships and diversifying services, the IPPB has transformed post offices into comprehensive financial hubs, proving that even the oldest institutions can evolve step with a rapidly changing world.

Eight years ago, the IPPB was established with a commitment to ensure that no Indian, irrespective of geography, gender, or circumstance, is excluded from the formal economy. By integrating rural India into the digital economy, it has now become an engine of national economic empowerment, he added.

–IANS

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