The Governor sent the Uniform Civil Code Bill passed by the Assembly to the President.
Dehradun. The Governor of Uttarakhand gave his assent to the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill passed by the Assembly and sent it to the President on Wednesday. If the President’s approval is received soon, this law can come into force even before the Lok Sabha elections. After the country gained independence, Uttarakhand is the first state to take the initiative to create a Uniform Civil Code (UCC).
The BJP government led by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had called for an extended session of the Assembly from February 5 to 7 this month. The Assembly passed the bill on February 7. Governor Lieutenant General Gurmeet Singh (Senior) has sent the bill to the President after his assent.
The Uniform Civil Code Bill mainly focuses on the protection of women’s rights. The Bill is divided into four sections: Marriage and Divorce, Succession, Live-in Relationship and Miscellaneous. With the enactment of this law, the evils and bad practices prevalent in the society will come under the category of crime and they will be banned. These include practices like polygamy, child marriage, divorce, Iddat, Halala. The implementation of this code will not affect anyone’s religious freedom. Provisions have been made in the bill for equal rights in property for women. This law will also be applicable 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 Section 21 of the Constitution of the country have been kept out of its scope.
