Dehradun: The Uttarakhand government tabled the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) bill in the Assembly on Tuesday.
The bill was introduced by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in the house during the four-day special session that commenced on Monday. Prior to which, Dhami walked into the house in a unique style holding a copy of the Constitution with both his hands.
Once it becomes an act, Uttarakhand will be the first state in India after Independence to adopt UCC. It has been operational in Goa since Portuguese rule.
After the bill was tabled, BJP MLA Shiv Arora termed it as a "historic moment and said that nothing has give more happiness than implementing UCC in the state. "It gives equal rights to all people," he said.
The UCC draft was approved by the state Cabinet on Sunday. Dhami had then said that UCC is the "need of the hour". The draft was prepared by a five-member committee headed by retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai.
The proposed UCC aims to establish uniform civil laws for all communities in the state. The draft suggests the minimum age of marriage for women as 18 years and a ban on polygamy. Also, it has proposed registration of marriages and self-declaration of live-in relationships be made mandatory.
Some other BJP-ruled states namely Gujarat and Assam have also decided to implement UCC that offers a common set of laws for divorce, marriage, inheritance and succession for citizens across all religions and communities.
On Monday, Union Minister for Law and Justice, Arjun Ram Meghwal said that Uniform Civil Code is currently being reviewed by the Law Commission of India.
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