UCC bill presented in the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) – The historic Uniform Civil Code (UCC) bill was introduced in the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly on 6th February. A discussion has started on the bill in the House. Congress has opposed the bill, nonetheless, it will be passed as BJP has a majority in the legislative assembly. Uttarakhand will be the first State to implement UCC after the independence. Goa has had a UCC since Portuguese control.

What is in the bill ?

The minimum age for marriage is 18 and 21 years

The minimum age for marriage has been fixed at 21 years for men and 18 years for women. Registration of marriages has been made compulsory. Unregistered marriages will not be recognised. Marriage registration has been simplified. This will apply to people of all religions including Hindus and Muslims. Once married, the son or daughter cannot remarry until the first marriage is declared invalid.

Provision for divorce after 1 year of marriage

No son or daughter can seek divorce immediately after marriage. A divorce petition can be filed in a Court only after completion of one year of marriage. The practice of triple talaq among Muslims will come to an end. All Hindus and Muslims have to go through the same process for legal divorce. An already married person will not be allowed to remarry without a divorce. If one marries in violation of this, he will not be able to avail the benefits of the schemes.

An adopted child to receive equal rights in hereditary property

Muslim women will also be able to adopt children now. An adopted child will also have equal rights in the hereditary property. Parents will not be able to distinguish between biological children and legally adopted children. Daughters will also be entitled to inherit property. If an only daughter dies after marriage, the responsibility of taking care of her parents falls on the daughter’s husband.

Those living in a live-in relationship must furnish information

Those living in a live-in relationship (together without marriage) have to provide their full details. Live-in couples need to get a no-objection certificate (NOC) from their parents. After that, the information in this context has to be given to the nearest Police station as well. Those who do not provide such information will face action. If a live-in couple has children, they also have full rights to their parents’ property. Due to this, couples in ‘Live In’ will not be able to cheat on each other.