More than one marriage will not be allowed in Uttarakhand once Pushkar Singh Dhami implements Uniform Civil Code(UCC) in Janayary, 2025. Laws of monogamy will be strictly adhered to by the government as UCC is likely to be implemented before January 14.

The much talked about Uttarakhand UCC, on one hand ,legalises live-in relationship while on the other hand, strictly forbids more than one marriage in the state. Monogamy will be only norm in the Himalayan state once UCC is brought into effect by the state government. Sharing this information, state government officials who are in the thick and thin of the ongoing UCC implementation task, claimed that monogamy will be put in place strictly in UCC regime but for the tribal area of Jaunsar region in the north and north western part of the state.
According to the state secretariat officials, although it has been announced by the government to implement UCC in January but it’s unlikely to happen before January 14. It might even go beyond Urban local body elections to be held on January 23 results of which will be out on January 25.
The UCC of Uttarakhand 2024 aims for creating a legal regime of unified personal laws governing matters like marriages, divorce, inheritance, adoption and maintenance rights for the citizens of Uttarakhand. Provisions of the UCC enacted, by the state legislature in February ,2024, is more vocal in favour of property inheritance rights for women and girls cutting across religious faiths and ideologies. It emphasises on the rights of elderly parents over the wealth and prosperty of their sons.
The Uttarakhand UCC law allows and legalises live-in relationships between the couples. It carries comprehensive provisions to ensure that these relationships are registered and records of such couples are maintained in the office of state registrar. The UCC also speaks for the rights of the children born out of live-in relationships. UCC provisions will be applicable in the state irrespective of religion, gender, caste or sex of the people of Uttarakhand.
It’s notable that Uttarakhand is the first state in the country to enact UCC to usher in parity as to civil rights and personal laws for its citizens. Law drafted by tlan experts panel headed by Justice Ranjana Desai was ratified by the President of India in March 2024. Following this its was handed out to another high level committee to develop rules and procedure for the implementation of the law.

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