Uttarakhand Assembly passes Uniform Civil Code
The Uttarakhand Assembly on Wednesday passed the Uniform Civil Code bill, which seeks to replace religious personal laws that govern marriage, relationship and inheritance.
Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had tabled the contentious legislation in the house on Tuesday.
With this, Uttarakhand has become the first state in India to have a law on the Uniform Civil Code.
Dhami said the draft of the bill was prepared in accordance with the Constitution.
“After independence, the makers of the Constitution gave the right under Article 44 that the states can also introduce the UCC at appropriate time… People have doubts regarding this. We made the draft as per the constitutional system,” he said in the assembly.
The implementation of the Uniform Civil Code was the Bharatiya Janata Party’s main promise in the 2022 Uttarakhand Assembly election’s manifesto.
Dhami said the law will be implemented after the President’s assent.
“This law is of equality, uniformity and equal rights. There were many doubts regarding this but the two-day discussion in the assembly clarified everything. This law is not against anyone. It is for the women who have to face difficulty because of the social norms… This will strengthen their self-confidence. This law is for the holistic development of women… The bill is passed… We will send it to the President. We will implement it in the state as a law, as soon as the President signs it,” he said.