Ahmedabad, March 24 -- The Gujarat assembly on Tuesday passed the Gujarat Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, making it the second state in independent India after Uttarakhand to codify a common set of personal laws.

The legislation, passed after an eight-hour debate, exempts the state's Scheduled Tribe (ST) population.

UCC aims to replace laws based on religious texts or traditions, and focuses on gender parity, the right to equality and the prevention of discrimination. It will apply to marriage, divorce, succession, adoption, guardianship, and the partition of land and assets for all citizens, irrespective of their faith.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) defended the legislation as a step towards equality, and the opposition Congr...