Uttarakhand’s Uniform Civil Code (UCC) rules, which took effect on January 2, made it mandatory for live-in couples to register with the government. The couples must register, online or offline, before starting and after terminating the live-in relationships.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the hill state, led by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, has released the UCC portal: ucc.uk.gov.in. The portal is available in 23 languages.
Failure to register amounts to a violation and the accused can face a jail term of up to six months. The rules apply to Uttarakhand residents who live in the state or elsewhere in the country.
Apart from the offline option, live-in couples who want to register their relationships on the Uttarakhand UCC portal, ucc.uk.gov.in, need Aadhaar authentication to register online. A ‘services’ section leads to the ‘Registration for Live-in’ option.
The applicants can either ‘register for a live-in relationship’ or ‘update/extend provisional certificate’. Both partners must mention details like date of birth, address and religion and upload the required documents, including a form.
The applicants must fill out a form and submit a certificate from a religious leader saying the couple is eligible to marry and the details from previous relationships. These requirements have been prescribed for registration of live-in relationships under its UCC before paying the registration fee.
Rule 15 (3) in Chapter 5 of the 238-page UCC rules mentions the “information to be included in the Statement of Live-in Relationship”.
“Aadhaar numbers, names, dates of birth, nationalities; category (General/SC/ OBC /Others); mobile numbers linked with Aadhaar and alternate mobile numbers; email IDs; present & permanent addresses; and proof(s) of residency (wherever applicable),” are the details of registration as mentioned in the rules. All the required documents have to be attached to a 16-page form.
The applicants must also provide their previous relationship status before registering as a live-in couple.
“Whether a registrant has a history of marital or live-in relationship and, if so, whether the registrant concerned is/was a divorcee; a widow(er); had marriage annulled; had live-in relationship terminated and/or whether live-in partner of the registrant has expired,” read the rules.
As proof of a previous relationship history, a ‘final decree of divorce, final decree of nullity of marriage; death certificate of spouse, or certificate of terminated live-in relationship’ is required.
“If marriage was dissolved before the commencement of the Code under customary laws, the proof of such dissolution of marriage,” read the rules.
The applicants must furnish a certificate ‘issued by an official of a religious leader/community head or official of a religious/community body concerned that the customs & usage governing the registrants permit marriage between them.’
A religious leader is defined as ‘a priest of the place of worship of that community or an office bearer of the religious body pertaining to that community.’
The UCC in Uttarakhand has sparked widespread discussion about its impact on individuals in live-in relationships. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that after the rules are implemented, registration of live-in relationships is mandatory, and the Registrar will give the couple's information to their parents.
“Children born through live-in relationships will also be considered to have equal rights in property. In this law, registration for live-in relationships has been made mandatory."
Under the UCC, the Registrar has powers to investigate the veracity of documents. If the parties registering their live-in relationship are under the age of 21, the registrar must inform the legal guardian or parent of the parties.
The law states that registration is only for the purposes of ‘record keeping.’ However, the rules require the Registrar to forward details of registrations to the local police stations where the couple resides.
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