NEW DELHI: The BJP-ruled Uttarakhand on Monday became the first state in the country to roll out the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) to govern matters related to marriage, divorce, live-in relationships and succession across faiths. Barring the 2.9% population of the Scheduled Tribes, the UCC will cover everyone in the state.
As the law took force with Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami unveiling the UCC portal in Dehradun today, Shatrughan Singh, Chairperson, UCC Rules and Implementation Committee, Uttarakhand, spoke to The Tribune about what would change after today. He said the UCC dealt mainly with three segments marriages/divorces; live-in ties and succession.
The main theme, he said, was granting equal, if not more, rights to women than men. “From today, all discriminatory practices such as polygamy and nikah halala are outlawed. The UCC protects women in live-in ties and is positively biased towards them. Women in live-in ties, until they remarry or enter another relationship, can claim maintenance in case of abandonment. Her male partner won’t have this right,” he said.
Noting that all marriages, live-in relationships and divorces will now need registration, Singh added that children born to live-in couples will have the same rights as those born to married couples or adopted by them.
“Marriages can be registered with sub-registrars, identified in UCC law as block village development officers. Live-in relationships will have to be registered with SDMs,” Singh said, adding that non-disclosure of live-in ties would invite jail terms and fines. “Whoever stays in a live-in relationship for over a month from starting it without making a statement will be punished with jail up to 3 months or fine up to Rs 10,000 or both. Anyone making a false statement can be punished with up to 3 months in jail and up to Rs 25,000 fine or both. A partner who fails to submit a statement after being given a 30-day notice by the registrar can invite up to 6 months in jail or up to Rs 25,000 fine or both,” the UCC says.