Raj Bhavan has given its approval to the Uniform Civil Code, Uttarakhand Bill and sent it to the President. After getting approval from the President, the way will be cleared for this bill to take the form of law and be implemented in Uttarakhand. If the bill gets immediate approval from the President, this law can come into force in Uttarakhand even before the Lok Sabha elections. After the country gained independence, Uttarakhand is the first state which has taken the initiative to create a Uniform Civil Code. Pushkar Singh Dhami government had called an extended session of the Assembly from February 5 to 7 this month to pass the Uniform Civil Code Bill.
After being passed in the Assembly on February 7, this bill was sent to Raj Bhavan. Governor Lieutenant General Gurmeet Singh (Seni) has sent the bill to the President. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has already said that the bill will be sent to the President for approval.
The protection of women’s rights has mainly been kept at the center of the bill. The Bill is divided into four sections: Marriage and Divorce, Succession, Live-in Relationship and Miscellaneous. With the enactment of the Uniform Civil Code, the evils and bad practices prevalent in the society will come under the category of crime and will be banned. These include practices like polygamy, child marriage, divorce, Iddat, Halala. There will be no impact on anyone’s religious freedom upon implementation of the Code. The bill makes provisions for equal rights in property for women. The entire Uttarakhand has been taken under the ambit of the bill presented to implement the Uniform Civil Code.
If the law is made, it will also apply to those residents of Uttarakhand who are living outside the state. This law will also be applicable on those who reside in the state for at least one year or take benefits of state and central schemes. Scheduled Tribes and groups protected in Article 21 of the Constitution of India have been kept out of its scope.
