Uttarakhand becomes first state to pass Uniform Civil Code Bill, live-in couples must register or face jail

Dehradun: The Uttarakhand assembly on Wednesday passed the landmark Uniform Civil Code (UCC) bill, that proposes the same set of laws governing issues like marriage, divorce, and inheritance for all religions.

Uttarakhand has become the first state in India to pass such a legislation in its Assembly.

Speaking in the assembly during the discussion on the issue, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the UCC was introduced under constitutional provisions. The bill will become law once it is cleared by the governor.

"After independence, the makers of the Constitution gave the states the right under Article 44 to introduce the UCC at an appropriate time... People have doubts regarding this. We made the draft as per the constitutional system," he said.

The UCC bill proposes to have the same set of laws governing issues like marriage, divorce, and inheritance for all religions.

Among the many proposals, the legislation makes it compulsory for live-in relationships to be registered under the law.

Once the proposed UCC Bill is in place, "live-in relationships" must be registered under the law within 1 month from the "date of entering into the relationship."To live in a live-in relationship, adults must obtain consent from their parents".

The bill also imposes a ban on child marriage and introduces a uniform process for divorce.

UCC provides equal rights to women of all religions in their ancestral property.