DEHRADUN/ NEW DELHI: In Uttarakhand, it was a pre-poll promise that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had made. On Tuesday, as he tabled the Bill, the treasury benches thumped their desks and chanted slogans of “Bharat Mata ki Jai”, “Vande Mataram” and “Jai Shri Ram”. The Bill is expected to be passed by the House on Wednesday
The UCC bill proposes a common law on marriage, divorce, land, property and inheritance for all citizens irrespective of their religion in the state, excluding the Scheduled Tribes. The proposed UCC aims to establish uniform civil laws applicable to all communities within the state. Anyone staying in a live-in relationship for more than a month without getting it registered will be punishable with an imprisonment up to three months or a fine of up to ₹10,000 or both, the bill says.
A draft of the UCC was presented to the Chief Minister by a five-member committee led by retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai. The UCC aims to establish a consistent legal framework for marriage, divorce, land, property, and inheritance laws, regardless of religious affiliation. The passage of the UCC Bill fulfils a significant promise made by the BJP during the 2022 Assembly polls.
“The draft specifically covers matters related to marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption. There has been no tampering with the traditions and customs of any religion, caste or sect. Religious beliefs will not make any difference in the marital process,” the government said in a statement.
Arjun Ram Meghwal, the Union Minister for Law and Justice, stated on Monday that the Uniform Civil Code is currently undergoing the consultation process and is under review by the Law Commission of India.
The original list of business for the day said the bill will be tabled, debated and passed by the House, but Speaker Ritu Khanduri amended it conceding to the demands of the opposition members who wanted more time to study the bill and present their views on it. Before the bill was tabled, there were protests inside the House by opposition members who said they were not given time to study its provisions.
“It seems the government wants to pass the bill without a debate in violation of the legislative traditions,” Leader of Opposition Yashpal Arya said. Slogans were also raised by the opposition members, who were pacified after the Speaker assured them that they would get enough time to study the bill.
The bill makes it obligatory for partners of a live-in relationship within the state, whether they are residents of Uttarakhand or not, to submit a statement of their relationship under sub-section (1) of section 381 to the Registrar within whose jurisdiction they are living in a prescribed format. It also says any child of a live-in relationship shall be a legitimate child of the couple.
Live-in relationships in which at least one partner is a minor will not be registered. Live-in relationships where the consent of one of the partners was obtained by force, coercion, undue influence, misrepresentation or fraud concerning the identity of the other partner will also not be registered. The registrar will examine the content of the statement of live-in relationships to ensure that they are not of such a kind as as mentioned under section 380.
(Bureau Report with Inputs from UK)

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