Quotes Pakistan Laws: Maharashtra Assembly in Uproar
News Report By Trendz
Mumbai, June 26, 2026
The Monsoon Session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly descended into heated verbal warfare on Wednesday as a debate over Triple Talaq and the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) took a dramatic turn. A political controversy erupted in Maharashtra after NCP MLA Sana Malik's remarks in the Assembly supporting polygamy drew criticism and reignited debate over Muslim personal law and women's rights. Malik, a legislator from the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction, made the comments during a discussion on women, family matters and divorce on the second day of the Monsoon Session of the Maharashtra Assembly.
What Malik said — and how the ruling BJP responded — has since reverberated well beyond the Assembly floor, rocking Maharashtra's political landscape and putting the Mahayuti alliance itself under an uncomfortable spotlight.
How It Began: The BJP's Call for UCC
The flash point was a calling attention motion moved by BJP MLA Devyani Pharande. Pharande raised the motion over instances of Triple Talaq in Nashik district, claiming that despite the Centre banning instant Triple Talaq, such instances are on the rise, and she had received complaints from three Muslim women regarding threats, violence and Triple Talaq from their respective husbands.
Pharande expressed her strong opinion about the necessity of the Uniform Civil Code in order to provide equal rights to women, arguing that the issue was rooted in constitutional equality rather than personal opinions or sentiments. "It is the government's job to ensure equality for all. This country runs on the Constitution, not on anyone's opinions. UCC means uniformity for all, and the law should be the same for everyone," she said.
Pharande also noted that even Pakistan has now brought in restrictions on polygamy, demanding to know the state government's stand on the practice.
Sana Malik's Remarks: The Controversy's Core
It was at this point that NCP MLA Sana Malik entered the debate — and the Assembly erupted. Malik said, "Pakistan has implemented laws which are said in the Quran, and if the laws are implemented here, then none of us will have a problem with it. In Islam, we follow what is said in the Quran. If something is written in the Quran, and if to follow that, Pakistan has brought implementation, then India must also follow and we demand it."
Malik argued aggressively that polygamy is not exclusive to Muslims — it exists in other religions too — and that only Muslims were being targeted.
She further said: "Do only Muslim men marry more than one person? Polygamy exists in other religions. The difference is that only in the Muslim religion there are uniform rules and regulations for polygamy." On Triple Talaq, she said, "Talaq Hassan and Talaq Ahsan are the types that we follow. Talaq Bid'at is itself a separate cultural practice; it is not mentioned anywhere in the Quran. That is why it did not exist in India, so the government abolished it. To which Muslims have no objection because Muslims do not believe in Talaq Bid'at."
Malik's intervention led to opposition members coming out in her support, while BJP MLAs claimed that the state would run by the Constitution and not by any religious scriptures. It led to commotion within the Assembly for several minutes, with members from both sides getting involved in verbal exchanges.
BJP Fires Back: 'You're Not in Pakistan's Parliament'
The BJP's reaction was immediate and sharp. BJP minister Nitesh Rane drew a sharp line, saying: "Perhaps our sister Sana has forgotten that she is sitting and standing in a Hindu-majority nation, that she is an MLA here, and not sitting in the Parliament of Pakistan."
The remark set the tone for the BJP's broader counter-offensive. Several BJP MLAs told Malik from across the aisle not to lecture the House on the Quran. The BJP's position — that India is a constitutional democracy governed by law, not religious scripture — found echoes across the ruling alliance, even as Malik's own party, the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction), remained a key partner in the Mahayuti government.
Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC also weighed in sharply, noting the contrast between Prime Minister Modi's abolition of Triple Talaq — which she said gave Muslim women greater dignity and protection — and Malik's apparent defence of practices the PM's government had moved to reform.
The Government's Response: UCC Committee Announced
Amid the uproar, the state government moved to pacify the chamber while firmly staking out its position. Minister of State for Home Yogesh Kadam gave details about the formation of a committee for the UCC, saying that the government's position is clear: the state government is working positively on the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code. The Chief Minister has also prepared a legal draft and decided to set up a committee under the chairmanship of a retired High Court judge. After its report comes, steps will be taken to implement the UCC. Once the UCC is implemented, it will be equally applicable to every citizen of the country. Therefore, there will be a ban on polygamy.
Kadam also sought to reassure Malik directly, saying the government was not targeting any particular religion, but that the UCC, once introduced, would apply uniformly to all citizens regardless of faith.
Malik Clarifies — But the Damage Is Done
Facing a national firestorm, Malik moved quickly to walk back the Pakistan reference while defending the substance of her position. Defending her remarks on polygamy, she said women's issues should not be linked with religion. She told ANI: "It was a woman's issue, and it was linked to religion. Our first objection was that you should not link women's issues with religion. Our second objection was that you raised the issue of polygamy, and while raising this issue, you quoted Pakistan. We live in India, we are Indian Muslims, and the Constitution has given Indian Muslims the right to practice their religion. In this way, we follow the Quran. If you want to make a rule and Pakistan has done something, then don't give us a reference. Give us the reference of the Quran."
She also added: "Pakistan should not be used as a reference point to guide Indian Muslims. If any guidance is to be given, it should come from the Quran, because Pakistan itself follows principles that it derives from Islamic teachings. As Muslims and as Indians, we have nothing to do with Pakistan, nor do we consider Pakistan an ideological model."
Owaisi Stays Aloof, SP Backs Malik
The controversy also drew responses from beyond Maharashtra. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said NCP MLA Sana Malik was capable of defending her own remarks and that it was for her party to address the issue, pointedly noting that the NCP is supporting the BJP-led government at the Centre.
SP leader Abu Azmi accused the government of using the issue to divide communities rather than focusing on development, arguing that criminal and civil matters already fall under common laws, while personal religious practices such as marriage should remain beyond government interference. He also attacked terms like "Love Jihad", calling them politically motivated.
A Wider Battle: UCC vs Personal Law
The Sana Malik controversy is ultimately a symptom of a much larger unresolved tension in Indian democracy: the decades-old debate between the constitutional promise of a Uniform Civil Code and the equally constitutional right to freedom of religion and personal law. With Maharashtra now formally moving toward a UCC committee, that debate is no longer abstract — and remarks like Malik's, whether intentional or not, have given the BJP exactly the political ammunition it needs to accelerate that push.
Report compiled from ANI, NewsX, Mumbai Press, Prokerala, and Navbharat Live.
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