Uttarakhand Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill makes history as the first state to adopt UCC post-independence in India.
Key highlights of the bill:
- It is applicable to all persons irrespective of religion, offering a similar succession scheme to the Indian Succession Act (ISA) where the spouse, children, and parents of a deceased person without a will receive an equal share of the property.
- It repeals inconsistent existing laws, recognizes children from live-in relationships as legitimate with equal rights, prohibits polygamy, and mandates a fine of ₹25,000 for not registering a marriage.
- Additionally, it criminalizes various forms of divorce and acknowledges Mehr and Dower alongside maintenance payments.
- The UCC has distinct implications for different communities- it removes the 1/3rd limit on succession for the Muslim Community, treating male and female heirs equally, contrary to traditional Sharia law.
- For the Hindu Community, it does not confer coparcenary rights, applying the same succession scheme to both ancestral and self-acquired property across genders.
- For the Christian Community, it changes the hierarchy of inheritance rights, allowing both parents to inherit property together.
About UCC:
- It is a proposed set of laws aims to replace the personal laws of each major religion with a common law for all citizens, covering marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, and maintenance, in line with Article 44 of the Indian Constitution.
- Article 44 (Directive Principles of the state policy) of the Indian Constitution states that State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a UCC throughout the territory of India.
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