Uttarkhand is all set implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) on Monday, making it the first state to make it a law that will bring uniformity in society while ensuring equal rights and responsibilities for all citizens.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said all preparations to implement UCC, including getting approval of the rules for the implementation of the Act and training of officials concerned, have been completed. The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Act was notified on March 12, 2024, after presidential assent.
Dhami said the UCC will bring about uniformity in society and ensure equal rights and responsibilities for all citizens. “The Uniform Civil Code is just an offering made by our state in the great ‘yagya’ being performed by the prime minister to make the country a developed, organized, harmonious and self-reliant nation,” he said in a statement.
“Under the UCC, an attempt has been made to bring uniformity in all laws related to personal civil matters that discriminate on the basis of caste, religion and gender,” Dhami said.
The UCC has been on the BJP’s agenda nationally for many years. But the party’s government in Uttarakhand became the first to take a concrete step towards implementing it just before the Lok Sabha elections last year. Now, the UCC Act of Uttarakhand might serve as a template for other BJP-run states to enact similar legislation.
Implementation of UCC was a major commitment of the BJP in the run-up to the 2022 assembly polls in Uttarakhand which saw the party storm to power for a second consecutive term.
The state cabinet recently approved the rules and regulations for UCC’s implementation and authorised the chief minister to decide a date for it. Dhami had ushered in the new year with a promise to implement it in January itself.
“We are celebrating 2025 as the silver jubilee year of statehood to Uttarakhand. It is going to be a year of big achievements. We have kept our promise of bringing a UCC. We will implement it in January,” Dhami said on New Year’s Day. “The Gangotri of UCC will spring from Uttarakhand and spread to the rest of the country,” he had said.
The UCC seeks to establish a uniform and equal set of rules on marriage, divorce, succession, and inheritance for all citizens in the state, except the scheduled tribes, irrespective of religion. It makes registration of all marriages and live-in relationships mandatory.
The Governor and subsequently the President have given their assent to the bill, making it an Act. As Uttarakhand is set to become the first state in independent India to implement uniform laws for all its citizens, Dhami dismissed the Congress’s allegations that UCC represents divisive politics, calling them baseless. “This is not any divisive politics. UCC has a uniform system and uniform law for all,” CM said.
According to officials, online portals have been developed for citizens and officials, featuring Aadhaar-based verification, AI-based translation services in 22 Indian languages, and data integration across more than 13 departments/services (e.g., birth-death registrations, district/high courts, etc.).
“The government has set separate fees for expedited registration under the Tatkal service. The registration and termination process for live-in relationships has also been simplified. Termination applications by one partner will require confirmation from the other partner. In testamentary succession, wills can be uploaded on the portal for online registration, modification, revalidation, or revival,” a statement from the state government read.
