DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami tabled the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) bill in the Uttarakhand assembly on Tuesday morning. The 192-page bill is divided into four parts – marriage & divorce, succession, live-in relationships, and miscellaneous.
Among the bill’s highlights are stringent provisions for failure to register live-in relationships. If a couple doesn’t register their live-in status with district officials, they can face a maximum of six months in jail, or a fine of Rs 25,000, or both.
Notably, children born out of a live-in relationship will be considered a legitimate child of the couple and will have all legal rights applicable to children born out of a marriage.
The bill provisions that if the age of any partner is less than 21 years, their parents will be informed by the Registrar’s office, adding that the termination of the relationship also needs to be intimated in a format prescribed for the same. If a woman gets deserted by her live-in partner, she shall be entitled to claim maintenance, the bill states.
While presenting the bill amidst chants of “Vande Vatram”, “Jai Shri Ram” and “Bharat Mata ki Jai” by BJP legislators, CM Dhami said, “It is a historic moment for each one of us. Let us all have a lengthy and healthy discussion to bring uniformity in the society.” He also simultaneously tabled a bill on 10% horizontal reservation in govt jobs to statehood agitators and their dependents.
Meanwhile, opposition Congress expressed strong annoyance over the tabling and expected approval of the UCC bill on the same day.
Leader of opposition Yashpal Arya said, “We fail to understand the logic behind the urgency being shown by the BJP government. They expect us to read such a lengthy document speedily and start the discussion. It looks like the government is trying to hide something.”
Among the bill’s highlights are stringent provisions for failure to register live-in relationships. If a couple doesn’t register their live-in status with district officials, they can face a maximum of six months in jail, or a fine of Rs 25,000, or both.
Notably, children born out of a live-in relationship will be considered a legitimate child of the couple and will have all legal rights applicable to children born out of a marriage.
The bill provisions that if the age of any partner is less than 21 years, their parents will be informed by the Registrar’s office, adding that the termination of the relationship also needs to be intimated in a format prescribed for the same. If a woman gets deserted by her live-in partner, she shall be entitled to claim maintenance, the bill states.
While presenting the bill amidst chants of “Vande Vatram”, “Jai Shri Ram” and “Bharat Mata ki Jai” by BJP legislators, CM Dhami said, “It is a historic moment for each one of us. Let us all have a lengthy and healthy discussion to bring uniformity in the society.” He also simultaneously tabled a bill on 10% horizontal reservation in govt jobs to statehood agitators and their dependents.
Meanwhile, opposition Congress expressed strong annoyance over the tabling and expected approval of the UCC bill on the same day.
Leader of opposition Yashpal Arya said, “We fail to understand the logic behind the urgency being shown by the BJP government. They expect us to read such a lengthy document speedily and start the discussion. It looks like the government is trying to hide something.”
