Live-in couples, equal rights focus of meeting on UCC
DEHRADUN: Live-in relationships and equal rights for women – were the two topics that dominated Wednesday’s meeting of the residents with members of the draft committee on UCC, at IRDT Auditorium in Dehradun, said the committee members present at the meet.
The Uttarakhand government on May 27, 2022, constituted a five-member draft committee headed by Ranjana Desai for preparing a draft for the implementation of UCC in Uttarakhand. The other members of the committee include retired Delhi high court judge Pramod Kohli, social activist Manu Gaur, retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Shatrughan Singh, and Doon University vicechancellor Surekha Dangwal.
During the interaction, the elderly population suggested that live-in relationships should be regulated, while the younger population spoke about the safeguards for live-in relationships.
Most women talked about equal rights in matters of inheritance of parents’ property, while there were others than gave suggestions on rights of LGBTQIA+ community.
Talking to media persons, retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Desai who is the chairernment person of the draft committee said, “The public interaction was productive. Most people gave their suggestions on live-in relationships, equal rights for women. Even our focus is women, and children. Everyone said that there should be equal rights for women in inheritance of properties and other matters.”
She said the committee will try to submit the draft to the government by June 30.
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said implementation of UCC was their resolve.
He said, “In the first cabinet meeting we constituted the draft committee. A lot of progress has been made by the committee.
Once implemented, it will be a model for other states.”
A meeting/discussion will be held with the representatives of political parties of Uttarakhand state by the expert committee on May 25 from 10 am to 5 pm in the auditorium, Uttarakhand Uniform Civil Code Office, State Guest House, Annexe Bhavan, Dehradun. The tenure of the committee of experts preparing the draft of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for Uttarakhand was recently extended by four months, a senior official said.
A member of the committee who didn’t wish to be named said they have completed 75% of the draft work for UCC, and their target is to submit it to the govby June end.
According to the committee, they received approximately2 25,000 suggestions (both offline and online) on various subjects, including marriage, divorce, property rights, succession/ inheritance, adoption, maintenance, custody and guardianship. On New Year’s Eve, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami said his government would implement a Uniform Civil Code in the state in 2023. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), during the 2022 state assembly polls, promised implementation of the UCC if they are voted to power.
CM Dhami on February 12 last year, during election campaigning, announced that the implementation of UCC will be the first decision the BJP government would take after coming to power. He stated that Article 44 of the Constitution empowers the state governments to implement UCC. “This decision has been taken so that there is the same law for everyone here,” Dahmi had said.
On March 24 last year, in the first cabinet meeting after forming its government in Uttarakhand, the BJP passed a proposal to implement UCC in the state and declared that a committee headed by a retired Supreme Court or high court judge will be formed for preparing its draft.