The Uttarakhand government is slated to implement Uniform Civil Code on January 27 — becoming the first state in India to enforce the law. The law was notified earlier this week and contains ‘legal provisions for marital conditions and protection of individual rights and social harmony’.
UCC will be implemented across the state on January 27 — a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Dehradun. According to an update shared by officials on Saturday, the portal will be launched at 12:30 pm from the state Secretariat.
According to the state government, this act applies to the entire area of the state of Uttarakhand and is also effective on the residents of the state living outside Uttarakhand. Scheduled Tribes and protected authority-empowered persons and communities are exempted from the parameters of UCC.
The Uniform Civil Code seeks to establish a set of uniform personal laws that apply to all citizens, regardless of religion, gender, or caste. This would cover aspects such as marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance, and succession.
The UCC includes detailed provisions related to marriage, divorce, annulment of marriage, willful and non-willful succession and live-in relationships. Opposition leaders however insist that the law is “impractical” and likely to ‘divide people along religious lines’.
“This is not any divisive politics. UCC has a uniform system and uniform law for all,” Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had countered earlier this week.
Article 44 of the Constitution discusses the Uniform Civil Code: “The State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India.”
In his Independence-Day address this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had noted that the Supreme Court has given various directions regarding a common code. The spirit of the Constitution also encourages such a uniform code, he had said, referring to Article 44 under the Directive Principles of State Policy.
"It is our responsibility to fulfil the dream of the makers of our Constitution. I believe that there should be a serious discussion on the subject," Modi had said.
Citizens will be able to use the online portal to register marriages, divorces, rights of succession, live-in relationship and their termination from next week. Officials said the process can be completed from one's home using mobile phones. Information about the status of your application related to registration can be obtained through e-mail and SMS. Arrangements have also been made to make complaints of citizens through online portal.
Uttarakhand also held local body elections this week for 11 Municipal Corporations, 43 Municipal Councils, and 46 Nagar Panchayats across the state. Voting was conducted on January 23 with the counting of votes underway on January 25.
(With inputs from agencies)
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