Five live-in couples apply for UCC registration, many fear scrutiny

Five couples have applied to register their live-in relationships under Uttarakhand’s new Uniform Civil Code (UCC), marking the first test of the landmark legislation’s controversial provisions on personal relationships, even as some others expressed strong reservations about the mandatory registration requirement.

Shailesh Bagauli, Uttarakhand’s home secretary, confirmed the first batch of applications since the law’s implementation on January 27. “Five applications have been submitted for the registration for the live-in relationship under UCC,” he said, adding that registration certificates would be issued after the verification process is completed.

Bagauli emphasised that the application data remains encrypted and protected. “We don’t even know who has applied and from where. It is totally against Right to Privacy [to disclose their information],” he said, refusing to provide district-wise distribution of the applications.

A 33-year-old woman living with her partner in Dehradun for the past year told HT they would rather leave the state than register their relationship. “We are very clear. We will move out of the state, if needed, but we won’t get ourselves registered,” she said, expressing scepticism about data security. “They (authorities) can’t quell our concerns by just saying our data will remain safe. We can’t repose our faith in it. It is stored virtually, a data breach or cyberattack can’t be ruled out.”

Another couple echoed these sentiments, stating simply: “We don’t want to register and keep the relationship private.”

Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has in the past defended the live-in registration provisions citing safety concerns. “We want the security of live-in couples. There was a case in which one Shraddha Walker was murdered by her live-in partner in Delhi in 2022. We don’t want Shraddha Walker-like cases here,” he had said during the law’s launch.

Under the legislation, which made Uttarakhand the first state in independent India to implement UCC, live-in couples must register their relationship with local authorities regardless of whether they are state residents. The law also applies to Uttarakhand residents living outside the state and cases where one partner is a foreign national.

The legislation carries significant penalties for non-compliance. Couples in relationships lasting more than a month face up to three months imprisonment or a fine of ₹10,000, or both, for failing to register. False declarations can result in similar penalties, while ignoring registration notices could lead to six months imprisonment or fines up to ₹25,000.

The UCC rules include several measures, mostly deemed controversial for state overreach: Registrars must notify local police of registrations, parents or guardians must be informed if either partner is under 21, landlords are prohibited from discriminating against registered live-in couples seeking accommodation and the verification process includes checking for relationships within prohibited degrees of kinship.

For existing relationships, couples have one month from the UCC’s implementation to register, while new relationships must register within a month of their commencement. The law also mandates that pregnancies resulting from live-in relationships must be reported to registrars within 30 days of childbirth.

The registration process empowers registrars to conduct thorough verifications, including summoning partners or other individuals for additional information. In cases where couples claim customary exemptions from prohibited relationships, registrars must verify such claims with community heads or religious leaders.

Termination of relationships can be initiated by one or both partners, either online or offline, though unilateral applications require confirmation from the other partner.

The implementation of these regulations through a dedicated portal represents the first time the state has sought oversight of live-in relationships.