Uttarakhand Cabinet Approves Uniform Civil Code Manual
The Pushkar Singh Dhami-led Cabinet approved the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) manual during a meeting at the state secretariat on Monday, with the dates for its implementation to be announced soon.
The Cabinet approved the manual after making partial amendments to the rules recently prepared for implementing the UCC. The amended rules, examined by the Law Department, were discussed and finalised during the meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Addressing the media post-meeting, Chief Minister Dhami emphasised the government's commitment to fulfilling its electoral promise.
"We had promised the people of Uttarakhand during the 2022 elections that the UCC will be implemented as soon as our government is formed. We brought it, the draft committee drafted it and it was passed. The President then approved it and it became an Act. The process of training is also almost complete," Mr Dhami stated.
He further noted the significance of Uttarakhand becoming the first state in India to implement the UCC, saying, "We have completed analysing it and discussed it in the Cabinet today. The dates will be announced soon. Since we are setting a precedent, it is essential to thoroughly examine and prepare for its implementation."
The UCC will create a unified legal framework for all religious communities in areas such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, and maintenance. While India has a uniform criminal code, a similar civil law framework does not currently exist.
The law explicitly excludes tribal communities and bans practices like 'halala', 'iddat', and 'talaq', which are part of the Muslim Personal Law.
The UCC, comprising 392 Sections under seven schedules, is based on a detailed 750-page draft spread across four volumes. This draft was prepared by a five-member expert committee formed in June 2022 to examine the introduction of the law in Uttarakhand.
The committee, led by Retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai submitted its draft to the state government on February 2, 2024.
The draft was passed by the State Cabinet on February 4, followed by the Assembly during a special session.
It received the approval of Uttarakhand Governor Lt. Gen Gurmit Singh (Retd) on February 28, making it a landmark legislation in Indian legal history.
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