The Uttarakhand government on Friday made its much talked about Uniform Civil Code (UCC) 2024 public after it was released by the experts committee that drafted the law.
The Committee, which scripted the country’s first UCC law, unveiled the same on its official website, claiming that it can be viewed by all across the globe.
The UCC 2024 that “governs and regulates the laws relating to marriage and divorce, succession, live-in relationship and matters related to thereto” carries comprehensive details of all its provisions in four parts and 14 chapters. The 196-page UCC law, as notified and published in the state Gazette, was uploaded in the official website of the UCC after an announcement by the committee member and former chief secretary of Uttarakhand Shatrughna Singh in the presence of panel chairperson Justice Ranjana Desai and other members.
Sçope of application of the Uttarakhand UCC extends to the entire state of Uttarakhand, and applies to all residents of the state and those living outside the boundaries of the state. However, only bonafide residents of the state could be brought under the scope of the law.
However, UCC 2024 has left the tribal population of the state out of its jurisdiction. “Nothing contained in the code shall apply to the members of any Scheduled Tribes within the meaning of clause 25 of the Article 366 read with Article 342 of the Constitution of India and the persons and group of persons whose customary rights are protected under part XXI of the constitution” says UCC 2024 at the outset.
Part one of the UCC 2024 deals with marriage and divorce provisions giving equal rights of the separation from conjugal alliance to the women of all religions and faiths. Part two deals with succession rights and provisions of the properties and other endowments. Here too, complete parity of succession rights is provided for the male and female heirs of the family.
Part three of the UCC 2024 devotes itself to the provisions of the live-in relationship registrations of which will be mandatory in Uttarakhand. It gives complete freedom to either of the live-in partners to seek past information of the other from the enforcement agencies. Part four of the UCC deals with miscellaneous provisions as to the implementation of the law. It allows the state government to make rules for carrying out the purposes of the UCC.
The Pushkar Singh Dhami government had constituted an experts panel to draft UCC in 2022 after state assembly polls. The experts body led by retired Justice Ranjana Parakash Desai submitted its report in late 2023 and the UCC was passed by the state assembly on March 11, 2024. Its gazette notification was issued by Uttarakhand Governor on March 12, 2024.