What if the legal rights changed overnight and we get equal rights and responsibilities despite belonging to different religions, castes or genders? Well, Uttarakhand has made it a reality in India where the concept of a Uniform Civil Code was a debate factor for several decades.
Uttarakhand adopted a bold step in Indian history by becoming the first state in India who implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). Pushkar Singh Dhami, the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, declared that the UCC became effective from the 27th of January 2025 and aims to establish uniformity in personal civil matters. This step of the state will affirm equal rights and duties for all citizens of Uttarakhand regardless of caste, gender or religion. The CM of the state also launching a portal for enrollment of marriage, divorce, live-in relationships and wills.
Why does the Uniform Civil Code matter?
Before understanding the value of the Uniform Civil Code to Uttarakhand as well as India, it is necessary to understand what is this concept. Well, UCC means a set of laws under the national civil code that can treat all sections of the society equally irrespective of people’s religions and other factors which shall be uniformly applicable to everyone.
It covers various aspects like marriage, maintenance, separation, inheritance, legacy and property acquisition. Let’s understand it in simple words. The UCC will develop a single set of laws that will address different issues of marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance and so on for different religions, castes or genders.
Under Article 44, a section of the Directive Principles of the State, it has been suggested that the Indian government should work to develop of Uniform Civil Code for all its citizens. However, instead of Article 44, the UCC remains debated for Indian society due to the diverse cultural and religious fabric of India.
Uttarakhand’s progressive measure to implement the Uniform Civil Code
Dhami, the CM of Uttarakhand, proclaimed that they have implemented the Uniform Civil Code. It is a part of the fulfilment of the promise made by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the 2022 assembly elections as mentioned by Dhami during an interview. He also pointed to Article 44 of the Indian Constitution during the interview session.
In an interview, CM said, “During the 2022 assembly election under the leadership of PM Modi, we promised the people of Uttarakhand that we would work towards implementing the UCC once we formed the government. We have fulfilled all the formalities, and the UCC is now ready to be implemented. Uttarakhand is the first state to bring the UCC, where there will be no discrimination based on gender, caste, or religion. The UCC will be enforced from January 27, as mandated under Article 44 of the Constitution,”
सबके अधिकार अब समान हैं !#UCCInUttarakhand pic.twitter.com/bHdpSZRyJY
— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) January 27, 2025Dhami shared about the UCC in his social media post on X, where he wrote, “Dear residents of the state, The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will be implemented in the state from January 27, 2025, making Uttarakhand the first state in independent India where this law will come into effect. All the necessary preparations have been completed to implement UCC, which includes approval of the rules of the Act and training of the concerned officials.
UCC will bring uniformity in society and ensure equal rights and responsibilities for all citizens. The Uniform Civil Code is a significant offering from our state, contributing to the broader vision of Prime Minister Modi for a developed, organized, harmonious, and self-reliant nation. Under the UCC, we are attempting to bring uniformity in all laws relating to personal civil matters that discriminate on the basis of caste, religion, sex, etc.”
The new rules of UCC
Dhami said that this implementation aims to bring equality and social harmony across all religious communities of the Uttarakhand. Under the new law, marriages can only be solemnized between those individuals who meet specific legal criteria. As an example of this legal criteria can be highlighted as two individuals can only be married when they are mentally component, reached the legal age (21 years for men and 18 years for women) and so on.
Marriage registration will be a mandatory factor for which a portal is also launched by the CM. A 60-day deadline needs to be obeyed by all the citizens who are willing to register for marriage. Even the marriage solemnized before March 26, 2010, will also provide provision for recognition.
The UCC portal will offer a range of services under nine heads. The nine heads aim to simplify the streamline the legal processes of personal matters. The nine heads are – registration of marriage, registration of divorce, registration of live-in relationships, termination of live-in relationships, declaration of heirs, registration of wills, appeals against decisions, accessing data, and filing complaints. The CM registered his marriage on the UCC portal to become the first person to initiate the new laws that have also been shared on his X account.
प्रदेश में समान नागरिक संहिता लागू करने के बाद UCC पोर्टल पर अपने विवाह का पंजीकरण कर सर्टिफिकेट प्राप्त किया।
जनमानस को ध्यान में रखते हुए पोर्टल को यूजर फ्रेंडली बनाया गया है, ताकि कोई भी नागरिक बिना किसी कठिनाई के पंजीकरण कर सके और शीघ्र अपना प्रमाण पत्र प्राप्त कर सके।… pic.twitter.com/YZmQaPVwhT
— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) January 27, 2025The new Act will be applied to all residents of Uttarakhand including those people who are living outside the state by allowing them to be enrolled within a six-month period of the implementation of the Act. However, Scheduled Tribes and certain protected communities are excluded from the Act by identifying their unique needs.
The benefits of UCC
The Uniform Civil Code brings several benefits for women, interfaith marriages, society and the legal system. The women will get equal property rights under this Act where the gender-based discrimination in inheritance will be eliminated. Besides that legal safeguards against unfair divorces can also be availed by both the men and women to ensure that no individual is deprived of their rights due to any kind of religious practices.
Through the Uniform Civil Code Act, the citizens of Uttarakhand now became able to eliminate different legal and religious problems while being bound by interfaith marriages. From January 27, couples from different religions can register their marriages under a single and standardised legal framework rather than being bound by religious customers to avail greater security.
The judicial and legal process gets more simplified under the new legal structure. Every individual from Uttarakhand can avail equal opportunities to deal with different legal and religious codes by registering through the UCC portal launched by the CM of the state.
Is UCC no longer a topic of debate in India?
We know India as a multicultural country. This country holds a rich diversity of cultures, religions, castes and traditions for which the Uniform Civil Code has remained a topic of debate for several decades. However, Uttarakhand has broken old traditions by becoming the first state of this culturally diverse country to implement the UCC. Now the question is, will other states follow suit by solving the debate?
Well, Goa is already following a common civil law because of having a legal heritage of Portuguese and now Uttarakhand’s step to implementation of this Act might impact other states of India. A precedent could be set for other states, especially the BJP-governed states like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and so on where the government may implement similar reforms in future by addressing the cultural, religious, political and legal challenges.
FAQ
1. When did Uttarakhand implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC)?
Uttarakhand is the first state to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) from January 27, 2025.
2. What is the main objective of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC)?
The UCC will bring uniformity in society and ensure equal rights and responsibilities for all citizens.
3. What areas of law does the UCC cover?
It covers different areas like marriage, divorce, maintenance, inheritance, adoption and succession of the property.
4. What services are available on the UCC portal?
The nine heads aim to simplify the streamline the legal processes of personal matters. The nine heads are: registration of marriage, registration of divorce, registration of live-in relationships, termination of live-in relationships, declaration of heirs, registration of wills, appeals against decisions, accessing data, and filing complaints. The CM was the first person who register his marriage on the UCC portal which also comes under the nine heads.
5. Who is excluded from the UCC in Uttarakhand?
Scheduled Tribes and certain protected communities are excluded from the Act by identifying their unique needs.
6. How does the UCC benefit women?
The UCC will bring several benefits for women, equal property rights under this Act where the gender-based discrimination in inheritance will be eliminated. Besides that legal safeguards against unfair divorces can also be availed by both the men and women to ensure that no individual is deprived of their rights due to any kind of religious practices.
7. Will other states in India follow Uttarakhand’s lead in implementing UCC?
Goa is already following a common civil law because of having a legal heritage of Portuguese and now Uttarakhand’s step to implementation of this Act might impact other states of India.
