Uttarakhand Assembly Passes Uniform Civil Code Bill, CM Dhami Says UCC Is Commitment Towards Women As It Prohibits Polygamy

The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) bill was passed by the Uttarakhand Assembly on Wednesday (7 February), a day after being tabled by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

Thanking Uttarakhand legislature, all the members of the committee that made the draft of the UCC and the people of the state for their support, Dhami said that the Act is in accordance with the Prime Minister's vision of 'Ek Bharat - Shreshth Bharat'.

As per Dhami, the Bill reflects the Uttarakhand government's commitment towards respecting and protecting women as it focuses on women's equality and bats for prohibiting polygamy.

The UCC Bill makes making halala, iddat, and triple talaq – practices governing marriage and divorce under the Muslim personal law – punishable offences.

The bill makes registration of live-in relationships mandatory, and proposes equal property inheritance rights to sons and daughters. It also makes the legal age for marriage, for both men and women, uniform across religions.

The UCC was one of the major poll promises of the BJP in the run-up to the state Assembly elections in February 2022. The committee was announced after the first Cabinet meeting of the newly-formed Uttarakhand government.

The panel received over 2.3 lakh suggestions from the public, most of which were received through letters, registered posts, emails, and written suggestions through its online portal.