Uttarakhand UCC Draft Proposing Polygamy Ban, Registration Of Live-In Relationships To Be Tabled Soon In State Assembly

Uttarakhand government is reportedly planning to convene a special session of the state legislative assembly soon to table the Uniform Civil Code draft.

This draft was prepared earlier this year by a committee set up by state's Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

The panel headed by retired Supreme Court Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai engaged with a cross-section of citizens and spoke to over 200,000 individuals and key stakeholders.

The UCC, or Uniform Civil Code, refers to a unified lset of laws that applies to all Indian citizens, irrespective of their religion, and deals with matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, and other personal issues.

The draft bill that will be tabled in the Uttarakhand assembly by the state government seeks a total prohibition on polygamy, NDTV reported citing sources.

Additionally, it proposes a mechanism for live-in couples to legally register their relationship.

The bill also aims to establish equal rights of inheritance for sons and daughters.

Implementing a UCC in Uttarakhand was a key commitment of the BJP during the lead-up to the state's assembly elections last year.

After returning to power, Dhami approved the formation of a committee, led by Justice Desai, to draft the UCC in his first cabinet meeting.

The expert committee, whose tenure was extended recently for a third time until December, gathered feedback from around 233,000 individuals and various organisations, institutions, and tribal communities prior to draft the document.

The five-member panel received its initial six-month extension in November 2022, followed by a second four-month extension in May this year.