Making history, Uttarakhand today became the first Indian state to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced the launch of the UCC portal and marked the official adoption of the UCC.
Speaking about this, Dhami said that with the launch of the UCC, “The single civil code is a constitutional measure to end discrimination. Thanks to this, an attempt was made to give equal rights to all citizens. With its implementation, the empowerment of women will be provided with a real meaning.” He further said that UCC does not discriminate against anyone on the basis of their gender, caste or religion. Emphasizing this, Dhami added: “I would like to make it clear once again that the Uniform Civil Code is not against any religion or sect, there is no question of targeting anyone.”
What is the Uniform Civil Code (UCC)?
With the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in place, Uttarakhand Govt seeks to establish a common set of laws and regulations for all its citizens, regardless of their gender or religion. Thus, the UCC aims to standardize the laws for marriage, divorce, cohabitation, property rights, adoption, etc.
“Through this, evils like Halala, Polygamy, child marriage, triple talaq etc can be completely stopped,” Dhami said while launching the UCC.
However, the UCC will not apply to Scheduled Tribes. “We have kept our Scheduled Tribes mentioned in the section of Article 342 of the Constitution from this code so that these tribes and their rights can be protected,” Dhami mentioned while launching the UCC today.
UCC Laws for Marriage
Under the UCC, the Uttarakhand government has fixed the legal marriage age for men and women at 21 and 18, respectively. With this, it aims to ensure that people complete their education first before getting married. The UCC makes it mandatory for people to register their marriage.
Under the UCC, practices such as polygamy and child marriage are also prohibited. It also implements a uniform law for divorce thereby banning Triple Talaq, Nikah Halala, Iddat. It will ensure people get equality regardless of their gender, religion or community.
The UCC also applies to proprietary rights. It also recognizes children born to living couples as a “legitimate child of the couple”, giving them equal inheritance rights. The UCC also omits gender distinctions in inheritance law and refers to both sons and daughters as “child”, thereby promoting gender equality.
UCC is for those in live-in relationships
For those in a live-in relationship, the law makes it mandatory for couples aged 21 and over to register their live-in relationship. Couples in a live-in relationship who are under the age of 21 will need parental consent to register.
The live-in UCC applies to all people who are “residents of Uttarakhand … (including those who are) in a live-in relationship outside the state.”
Those who fail to declare/register their living relationship or provide false details can be jailed for three months or fined INR 25,000 or both. Even delaying to register for a live-in relationship for a month can attract a jail term of up to three months, a fine of INR 10,000 or both.
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