Dehradun: The Pushkar Dhami government has implemented the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) on Monday, making Uttarakhand the first state to implement this law.
According to the state government, UCC gives priority to protection of personal rights and regulates the laws related to marriage, divorce, succession (inheritance) and live-in relationships.
Also, UCC provides special provision for soldiers, air force personnel or marines to prepare a will, which can be handwritten, dictated verbally or presented verbatim in front of witnesses. In view of the sacrifice and contribution of the youth in the Army, the Act provides special importance to the "Privileged Will". According to the UCC, soldiers, air force personnel or marines on active service or deployment can prepare a will under simple and flexible rules as well as cancel it.
This streamlined process aims to ensure that even those deployed in difficult and high-risk situations can effectively register their property wishes as per the Act. If a soldier writes a will in his own hand, there is no need for formalities of signature or attestation, provided it is clear that the document was drafted in his own words.
Similarly, if a soldier or air force personnel verbally declares his will in front of two witnesses, it can also be considered a privileged will. However, the will automatically becomes invalid after a month if the person is alive and his special service conditions (active service, etc.) have ended.
Furthermore, it is also possible that someone else drafts a will as directed by the soldier and the latter accepts it verbally or in action. In this case too, it will be considered a valid privileged will.
If a soldier gave written instructions to write a will but died before it was finalised, those instructions will still be considered a will, provided it can be proven that they were his wishes.
Notably, a privileged will can be revoked or amended by a soldier in the future. He can revoke it and make a new privileged will or an ordinary will.
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