Uttarakhand has become the first state in India to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), with Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announcing its full adoption on Monday.
The UCC applies to all residents of Uttarakhand, except Scheduled Tribes and protected authority-empowered persons and communities.
The Uniform Civil Code, implemented by Uttarakhand, aims to simplify and standardize personal laws related to marriage, divorce, succession, and inheritance.
Speaking on the landmark decision, CM Dhami credited the people of Uttarakhand for the implementation. “If the credit for this goes to anyone, it goes to the people of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand, who blessed us and formed our government,” Dhami said while launching the official portal and booklet for UCC.
Under this, marriage can be solemnised only between those parties, none of whom has a living spouse, both are mentally capable of giving legal permission, the man should have completed at least 21 years of age and the woman 18 years of age and they should not be in the ambit of prohibited relationships.
CM Dhami explained that the implementation of UCC aligns with the promise made during the 2022 state elections and cited Article 44 of the Indian Constitution, which advocates for a uniform civil code for all citizens.
Uttarakhand’s Uniform Civil Code journey began in March 2022 when the state cabinet approved a proposal to form an expert panel, led by retired Supreme Court Judge Ranjana Prakash Desai. The panel’s task was to draft the UCC, which they submitted in four comprehensive volumes after a year and a half of consultations with various sections of the state’s population.
The draft was sent to the state on February 2, 2024, and shortly after, the Uttarakhand assembly passed the UCC bill. President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent in March 2024, nearly two years after the initial proposal.
The Uniform Civil Code Act of Uttarakhand regulates several areas of law, including Marriage and Divorce where the UCC sets a uniform marriageable age for both men and women and outlines the grounds for divorce and procedures across all religions.
The UCC also governs laws related to inheritance and succession, registration of live-in relationships, Polygamy and ‘Halala,’ which previously required a woman to marry another man and divorce him before remarrying her former husband. (With inputs from agencies)