The draft for the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for Uttarakhand has provisions for the age of girls for marriage and conditions for live-in relationships, among others, according to sources.
“The draft is complete and would be submitted to the state government soon,” Justice (retd) Ranjana Prakash Desai said on Friday.
#WATCH | It gives me immense pleasure to inform you that the drafting of the proposed Uniform Civil Code of Uttarakhand is now complete. The report of the expert committee along with the draft will be printed and submitted to the Government of Uttarakhand: Retd Supreme Court… pic.twitter.com/7RGqaZZtYk— ANI (@ANI) June 30, 2023
The highlights, according to sources, are:
- Age for marriage: The age of girls for marriage to be increased to 21 years from present 18 years.
- Marriage registration: The draft has suggested making registration of marriages mandatory.
- Live-in couples: It will be mandatory for live-in couples to inform their parents.
- Halala and iddat: The proposed UCC draft mentions discontinuing the practice of ‘halala’ and ‘iddat’ – terms commonly used while settling marriage disputes among Muslims.
- Polygamy: The UCC bans the practice of ‘polygamy’ – the custom of having more than one wife – a feature among Muslim marriages.
- Divorce rights: The draft gives equal grounds and rights to both husband and wife, irrespective of the faith, to seek divorce.
- Population control: The draft has reportedly recommended fixing the number of children.
TOOK ALL OPINIONS INTO ACCOUNT: DESAI
Desai, who heads the committee of experts set up by the Uttarakhand government last year, said the panel has drafted the code taking into account all shades of opinions and looking into various statutes and uncodified laws, including the statutory framework in select countries.
“It gives me immense pleasure to inform you that the drafting of the proposed uniform civil code for Uttarkhand is now complete," Desai told a press conference here.
“The report of the committee, along with the draft code, would soon be printed and submitted to the government of Uttarakhand," she added.
The committee met in the national capital on Friday.
ORDINANCE NEXT MONTH?
The draft will be handed over to the state government in the next few days.
The committee was constituted soon after Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami took over the reins of the state for the second term in March last year.
“We will enforce the UCC very soon. It was our promise before we went to the Vidhan Sabha polls. People gave us a mandate, so we went ahead with the UCC,” CM Dhami told News18 in Dehradun.
UTTARAKHAND TO BE FIRST STATE IN INDIA TO INTRODUCE UCC?
- The UCC could be enforced in the state by next month.
- The government might bring in an ordinance.
- If it happens, Uttarakhand could become the first state in the country to introduce the UCC.
With PTI Inputs