Uttarakhand Committee Proposes Uniform Civil Code with Key Recommendations

A five-member expert committee in Uttarakhand has submitted a draft of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, outlining several key recommendations. The proposed UCC addresses various aspects, including exempting tribal communities, prioritizing women’s equality, banning practices like polygamy, and establishing a uniform marriage age across religions. The committee’s report suggests making practices such as halala, iddat, and triple talaq, which govern marriage and divorce under Muslim personal law, punishable offenses. Additionally, it recommends uniform adoption rights following existing laws under the Juvenile Justice Act.

The draft also calls for mandatory registration of live-in relationships and the exemption of tribal communities from the UCC, addressing concerns raised by these communities. To ensure uniformity, the committee proposes a consistent legal age for marriage for both men and women across religions. The report emphasizes the need for uniformity in the number of children for couples and measures for population control, suggesting that the Centre would form an expert committee to address population-related challenges.

In response to the recommendations, Chief Minister Dhami expressed the government’s commitment to implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) , fulfilling a promise made before the 2022 Assembly elections. The proposed UCC Bill is expected to be tabled in the Uttarakhand Assembly session, starting on Monday. The government aims to make Uttarakhand’s UCC a model for other states to adopt, with Gujarat and Assam likely to follow suit.

The UCC draft is divided into four volumes, including the committee’s report, the draft code in English and Hindi, and a public consultation report. The government plans to prepare a draft UCC law based on the committee’s findings and engage in constructive debates with opposition parties in the upcoming Assembly session.

While Chief Minister Dhami emphasizes the non-targeting of any specific group, opposition parties express skepticism about the ease of implementing the UCC. The Uniform Civil Code remains a concurrent subject, allowing both the Centre and states to make laws on the matter. The proposed UCC in Uttarakhand is poised to be a significant legislative development, setting a precedent for other states in India.