Uttarakhand Cabinet Approves Uniform Civil Code Manual

The Uttarakhand Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, has approved the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) manual during a meeting held at the state secretariat on Monday. The dates for its implementation will be announced soon.

The manual was approved after partial amendments were made to the rules that had been recently prepared for the implementation of the UCC. These amended rules were examined by the Law Department and finalized during the Cabinet meeting chaired by CM Dhami.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, CM Dhami reiterated the government's commitment to fulfilling its electoral promise of implementing the UCC. "We had promised the people of Uttarakhand during the 2022 elections that the UCC would be implemented as soon as our government was formed. We have brought it forward, the draft committee created it, and it was passed. The President approved it, and it became an Act. The process of training is also almost complete," Dhami said.

Historic Move for Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand is set to become the first state in India to implement the Uniform Civil Code, a significant move in Indian legal history. "We have thoroughly analyzed the law and discussed it in the Cabinet today. The dates for implementation will be announced soon. Since we are setting a precedent, it is essential to carefully prepare for its implementation," CM Dhami added.

The UCC aims to create a unified legal framework for all religious communities in areas such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, and maintenance. While India already has a uniform criminal code, there has not been a similar civil law framework until now.

The law specifically excludes tribal communities and bans certain practices like 'halala', 'iddat', and 'talaq', which are part of the Muslim Personal Law.

The UCC in Detail

The UCC consists of 392 sections under seven schedules and is based on a detailed 750-page draft spread across four volumes. This draft was prepared by a five-member expert committee, headed by Retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, which was tasked with examining the introduction of the law in Uttarakhand.

The committee submitted its draft to the state government on February 2, 2024. The draft was subsequently passed by the State Cabinet on February 4, and by the Assembly during a special session. It received approval from Uttarakhand Governor Lt. Gen Gurmit Singh (Retd) on February 28, making it a landmark piece of legislation.