Photo : iStock
Uttarakhand is all set to create history on Monday as it readies to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) becoming the first state to do so. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had said that all preparations to implement the law were done, and the enforcement would begin a day after Republic Day, i.e. on January 27.
In an official statement, the CM had said that officials concerned have been apprised of the Act, new laws and regulations. He said that the UCC will bring about uniformity in society and ensure equal rights and responsibilities for all citizens.
The Uniform Civil Code is mentioned as one of the Fundamental Duties in the Constitution and has been a long-pending promise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Code will see its maiden implementation in the hill state of Uttarakhand.
“UCC is just an offering made by our state in the great ‘yagya’ being performed by the Prime Minister to make the country a developed, organised, harmonious and self-reliant nation,” the Chief Minister had said.
It was one of the promises the party made during the 2022 state assembly elections. The saffron party secured its second consecutive victory, a first in Uttarakhand since its formation in 2000.
#Uttarakhand makes history by implementing #UniformCivilCode from today
CM #PushkarSinghDhami to launch #UCC portal @abhisheksinhan reports | @NivedhanaPrabhu pic.twitter.com/SPrZohWUAZ
— Mirror Now (@MirrorNow) January 27, 2025
Uttarakhand UCC Timeline
#UCC in #Uttarakhand to be enforced today
– Age limit for marriage for women to be increased
– Registration of marriage to be made mandatory
– Husband and wife will have equal grounds for divorce#TimesNow‘s Abhishek shares details with @Prathibhatweets pic.twitter.com/9jg0UJZ3pc
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) January 27, 2025
What is Uttarakhand UCC?
#UCC in #Uttarakhand to be enforced today: What does this mean?
– Registration of marriage will be mandatory
– Husband and wife will have equal grounds for divorce
– Complete ban on polygamy
– Girl children will receive an equal share of inheritance as boys
– Declaration… pic.twitter.com/Y4disIY7Qz— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) January 27, 2025
Explaining about the features, Doon University Vice Chancellor Surekha Dangwal, who was part of the panel said the provisions are aimed at bringing about gender parity in matters of marriage, divorce and succession, treating all children as legitimate.
He said the UCC aims to legitmise children born of void or voidable marriages, simplify the process of preparing a will and regulate live-in relationships.
“Gender parity across all religions is the spirit of UCC,” Dangwal told PTI.
Under the law, it would be mandatory to register all marriages and live-in relationships in the state. Facilities have also been created to help people register their marriages online so that they do not have to run around government offices for it, Dangwal added.
“Another remarkable feature of the UCC is that it treats all children as legitimate. We have in fact totally done away with the term illegitimate in the context of children,” she said, quoted PTI.
She explained the UCC also provides a special provision for defence personnel called “privileged will” which can be made both in writing or by word of mouth.
Any soldier or air force personnel engaged in an expedition or actual warfare or a mariner at sea can make a privileged will for which rules have been kept flexible, she added.
Uttarakhand will become the first state to implement the UCC and several states are likely to follow suit including Assam, which has expressed its desire to adopt Uttarakhand’s UCC as a model.
