Uniform Civil Code set to implement in Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has set a template for Uniform Civil Code and will be implemented soon.
Uttarakhand will be the first state to implement the Uniform Civil Code. UCC has been only functional in Goa since the Portuguese rule. This step would be inspirational for the other states in the country. On 2nd February, a government appointed panel submitted a template for Uniform Civil Code to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. The document will be examined before it is presented before the assembly. The draft is likely to be tabled in the assembly on 6th February.
According to the latest reports, the Uniform Civil Code bill would consider halal, iddat and triple talaq as criminal offences. It may also foster a ban on polygamy and polyandry. Rules regarding fixed age for marriage for both the gender are expected. Strict rules regarding population control and uniformity in the number of children could be expected in the Uniform Civil Code bill. A legal framework for uniform marriage, live-in relationships, divorce and property is also expected.
On 10th January in New Delhi Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, Shatrughan Singh IAS Justice Permod Kohli, social activist Manu Gaur, and Vice Chancellor of Doon University, Surekha Dangwal, participate in an open dialogue, as part of the Expert Committee with the residents of Uttarakhand residing in NCR on the Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand.
Panel led by retired Supreme Court judge, Justice Ranjana Desai
The five-member panel was led by retired Supreme Court judge, Justice Ranjana Desai, formed two sub-committees, which visited even the remotest areas and collected feedback. Technology like web portal, WhatsApp, and SMS has also been used to take public opinion, suggestions, and feedback. Starting with Mana village, meetings were held at 43 different locations. The UCC panel had received almost 2.33 lakh written suggestions and 72 meetings were held in which the members interacted and participated in an open dialogue with around 60,000 people.
A music track titled "Aa Raha Hai UCC" (UCC is coming) has also been released. The title song has been written and sung by Bhupendra Baseda and composed by Rakesh Bhatt.
Responses to the Uniform Civil Code draft
Advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, who had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on UCC in SC, said, "While a Hindu couple going for divorce gets a six-month cooling period, it is two years for Christians and there is no time limit for our Muslim sisters. Now, UCC will provide an equal cooling period for all religions."
In response to the Uniform Civil Code draft report, Uttarakhand Congress chief spokesperson Garima Mehra Dasauni said that it will not be an easy task for the State government to implement the UCC. If the government had presented the draft, it would have been known on which subjects the government wants uniformity and equality. UCC is a subject of the Concurrent List, which means both the Centre and the State, can make laws on this subject. But whenever the Centre makes a law, it will be an umbrella law, and then the laws made by the States will be ineffective or will be merged.