Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami introduced the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill on February 6, and it was passed by the state Assembly passed today. With the House approval, Uttarakhand became the first state in the country to implement a Uniform Civil Code, which presents common law for marriage, divorce, inheritance of property, etc.
UCC Bill Will Now Become An Act
The Uniform Civil Code Bill will now become an Act is based on the draft that has been submitted by a high-level committee formed by the Uttarakhand government. The committee is under the chairmanship of retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana P Desai.
The implementation of the Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand comes months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections due in 2024. As per reports, there is speculation that the Union Government is planning to bring a similar law at the national level and the BJP-ruled states like Gujarat and Assam are already in the process of passing UCC law in their respective states.
Has Been One Of The Foundational Items Of BJP’s Agenda
The Uniform Civil Code has been one of the foundational items of BJP’s agenda apart from the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and the construction of Ayodhya Ram Temple.
The Uniform Civil Code brings a common law for marriage, divorce, inheritance of property, etc., which were earlier governed by personal laws of every religion. The UCC makes bigamy (marrying one person while still legally married to another) and polygamy (having multiple spouses simultaneously) illegal.
The government of Uttarakhand has made it clear that members belonging to the Scheduled Tribes (ST) community will remain out of the purview of the Uniform Civil Code. The UCC will not apply to “members of any Scheduled Tribes within the meaning of clause (25) of Article 366 read with Article 142 of the Constitution of India and the persons and group of persons whose customary rights are protected under Part XXI of the Constitution of India.”
Bengali