Dehradun
On the third day of the special session of the Uttarakhand legislative assembly, discussions on the Uniform Civil Code Bill are underway. Several senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), including Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, are present at the special session.
Earlier on Tuesday, CM Dhami announced the introduction of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill in the Uttarakhand assembly, fulfilling a promise made ahead of the 2022 assembly elections.
The bill contains the laws relating to marriage, divorce, succession, live-in relationships, and related matters. Among the many proposals, the Uniform Civil Code Bill makes it compulsory for live-in relationships to be registered under the law.
Once the proposed UCC Bill is in place, live-in relationships will have to get registered under the law within 1 month from the date of entering into the relationship.
To live in a live-in relationship, adults will have to obtain consent from their parents. The bill also imposes a complete ban on child marriage and introduces a uniform process for divorce. The Code provides equal rights to women of all religions in their ancestral property.
As per the UCC Bill, the age for marriage will be 18 for women and 21 for men. Marriage registration is mandatory in all religions and marriages without registration will be invalid. Highlighting the ceremonies for marriage, the Bill noted that marriage may be solemnized or contracted between a man and a woman in accordance with religious beliefs, practices, customary rites and ceremonies, including but not limited to Saptapadt, Ashirvad, Nikah, Holy Union, and Anand Karaj under the Anand Marriage Act 1909, as under, but not limited to, The Special Marriage Act.
