Uttarakhand assembly becomes first state to clear UCC Bill

The Uttarakhand assembly on Wednesday passed the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, which may serve as template for other BJP-run states to enact similar legislation.

The UCC Bill was passed by voice vote after a two-day debate. The opposition’s proposal for referring the draft legislation to a select committee of the House on the ground that they did not get enough time to study its provisions was rejected.

The Bill will now be sent to President Droupadi Murmu for her assent after which it will become a law. BJP-ruled states like Gujarat and Assam appear keen to model their UCCs on the Bill passed by the Uttarakhand assembly.

During the discussion, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said it is not an ordinary legislation. “With its passage, a small state like Uttarakhand will script history,” he said.

He said the UCC will create equal laws for men and women across all faiths and will help create a non-partisan and non-discriminatory society. It will especially protect the rights of women and put an end to their exploitation, Dhami said.

The hill state’s small tribal community is exempted from the proposed law, which also mandates registration of live-in relationships. Children born of live-in relationships will be considered legitimate and deserted women will be entitled to maintenance from their partners.

The Bill effectively bans polygamy and ‘halala’ practiced among a section of Muslims. Marriages, though, can be solemnised t