UCC will be implemented in Uttarakhand in January 2025: CM Pushkar Singh Dhami

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday announced that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will be implemented in Uttarakhand from January 2025.

“All preparations have been completed in this regard”, Dhami said.

“Uttarakhand will become the first state in the country to implement the Uniform Civil Code after Independence”, he added.

Dhami made the announcement during the Uttarakhand Investment and Infrastructure Development Board (UIIDB) meeting at the state secretariat.

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“Uniform Civil Code will come into force in Uttarakhand in January 2025. The Uniform Civil Code law of Uttarakhand, following the basic spirit of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas (with everyone’s cooperation, with everyone’s development and with everyone’s trust), will give a new direction to society. This law will open new doors for the empowerment of people, especially women and children of Devbhoomi”, he said.

“The state government has completed its homework for implementing the Uniform Civil Code as per our resolution. After the formation of the new government in the state in March 2022, in the first meeting of the cabinet, it was decided to constitute an expert committee to implement the Uniform Civil Code in the state”, he said.

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“For this, a five-member expert committee was constituted under the chairmanship of retired judge Ranjana Prakash Desai. On the basis of the report of the committee, the Uniform Civil Code Bill 2024 was passed by the State Legislative Assembly on 7 February 2024. After getting the assent of the President on this bill, its notification was issued on 12 March 2024. Now the rules for UCC Uttarakhand 2024 Act have also been prepared. Uttarakhand is now fully prepared to implement the Uniform Civil Code from January 2025”, he added.

On October 18, Uttarakhand UCC legislation rules making and implementation committee submitted its draft report on UCC rules to the chief minister Dhami.

According to Shatrughna Singh, retired IAS officer and former chief secretary, who headed the Uttarakhand Uniform Civil Code (UCC) legislation Rules Making and Implementation Committee report consists of four parts, comprising procedures related to registration of marriage and divorce, live-in relationships, birth and death registration and rules related to inheritance.

UCC refers to a common set of laws that will subsume customary laws across faiths and tribes and govern issues such as marriage, divorce, inheritance and maintenance. In the Constitution, it is a part of the non-justiciable directive principles of state policy.