Dehradun, Jan 27 (IANS) One year has passed since the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Uttarakhand. On this special occasion, Manu Gaur, a member of the draft committee formed to implement the UCC in the state, said that it is the result of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s efforts that the UCC has now completed one year in Uttarakhand.

In an interview with IANS, Manu Gaur said that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami personally took on the responsibility to make Uttarakhand the first state in the country to implement the UCC. “It is a matter of pride for me that I also got the opportunity to work on the committee that drafted the UCC. I was able to contribute to this historic work,” he said.

He said that it took three years to prepare the UCC. Its primary goal was to ensure that the remaining 50 per cent of women in the state could have equal rights with men, whether in matters of marriage or property. The UCC was implemented in the state on January 27, 2025. He expressed happiness that so far, 4 lakh marriages have been registered on the UCC portal. Additionally, 8,000 marriages that took place before the UCC was implemented have also been registered. Although previously, some of these were registered under other acts, this demonstrates the popularity of the UCC. Over 4,000 wills have also been registered. Before the UCC, such data could not be publicly accessed.

He added that some critics claim that the UCC has become limited to marriage-related cases. In response, he noted that last year, 11 cases were registered related to polygamy, where some married individuals were attempting a second marriage, and cases were filed against them. Additionally, 54 cases were registered related to triple talaq, preventing the exploitation of the women who were being harassed under the pretext of triple talaq. Such statistics were not previously publicly available.

Manu Gaur also addressed the discussion around live-in relationships. He said that some narratives wrongly suggested that the UCC was acting against religion. In reality, the UCC committee and government aimed to protect the rights of children born in live-in relationships. Accordingly, 162 applications were filed on the UCC portal for registering live-in relationships, out of which 70 were approved, and the rest were rejected because they did not meet legal criteria. Registration is crucial in making such cases visible and preventing potential future crimes.

Regarding amendments to the UCC, he said that just as the Constitution of India has been amended over time, several changes were needed to implement the UCC effectively on the ground. These amendments were made to make the law fully beneficial to the people of the state. When laws related to marriage were originally created, no one had anticipated the need for laws covering live-in relationships. Uttarakhand became the first state in the world to enact laws for live-in relationships. If further changes are needed in the future, laws will be made accordingly.

On the number of live-in relationship cases, Manu Gaur said that no official data is publicly available, so he could not provide figures. He emphasised that due to privacy considerations, no official can disclose such information.

He also highlighted the privacy aspect of marriages. “Marriage is a personal matter, who I marry, when, and where. However, the Supreme Court of India has mandated that all state governments enact laws to register marriages. Under the UCC, marriages are being registered, which records full details. Thus, marriage registration is linked to the right to privacy, and the live-in relationship law provides protection to women,” he added.

--IANS

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