{"id":35971,"date":"2025-01-22T20:53:21","date_gmt":"2025-01-22T15:23:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=35971"},"modified":"2025-01-22T20:53:23","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T15:23:23","slug":"ucc-rules-in-uttarakhand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/22-01-2025\/ucc-rules-in-uttarakhand","title":{"rendered":"UCC Rules in Uttarakhand"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/ Polity and Governance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Cabinet of Uttarakhand approved the rules for the Uniform Civil Code.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Background<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>In 2024<\/strong>, The Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly passed <strong>The Uniform Civil Code of Uttarakhand Act, 2024,<\/strong> becoming the<strong> first Indian State<\/strong> to adopt a UCC post-independence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It bans polygamy, nikah halala, child marriage, and extrajudicial divorce practices while ensuring uniform marriageable ages (21 for men, 18 for women).\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Women gain equal property rights<\/strong>, though personal laws on guardianship and Hindu Undivided Families remain unchanged.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Live-in relationships are recognized as quasi-marriages<\/strong>, safeguarding offspring legitimacy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is Uniform Civil Code (UCC)?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>A Uniform Civil Code refers<\/strong> to the provision of one law for the entire country, applicable to all religious communities, in their personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Aim: <\/strong>To replace the existing diverse personal laws that vary based on religious affiliations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Constitutional Provisions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Article 44 <\/strong>contained in <strong>part IV <\/strong>of the Constitution says that the state \u201cshall endeavor to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India\u201d.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Part IV of the Constitution <\/strong>outlines the <strong>Directive Principles of State Policy, <\/strong>which, while not enforceable or justiciable in a court of law, are fundamental to the country\u2019s governance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>UCC in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>UCC in Goa:<\/strong> It follows the <strong>Portuguese Civil Code of 1867, <\/strong>which means that people of all religions in Goa are subject to the same laws on marriage, divorce, and succession.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Goa Daman and Diu Administration Act of 1962<\/strong>, which was passed after Goa joined the union as a territory in <strong>1961<\/strong>, gave Goa permission to apply the Civil Code.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Arguments in favor of UCC<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Uniformity in Governance:<\/strong> Having a common set of laws would streamline governance and administrative processes, making it easier for the state to administer justice and ensure the rights of its citizens.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Women&#8217;s Rights:<\/strong> Personal laws in different religions may have discriminatory provisions, particularly against women, and a uniform code will provide a more egalitarian legal framework.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Secularism: <\/strong>A Uniform Civil Code is seen as a way to reinforce the secular fabric of the country by treating all citizens equally irrespective of their religious affiliations.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Supreme Court<\/strong> in various judgments including <strong>Mohd. Ahmed Khan vs Shah Bano Begum judgment of 1985,<\/strong> has called for the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Promote national Spirit:<\/strong> The implementation of a UCC will promote the integration of India by establishing a shared platform for diverse communities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Arguments against UCC<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Plurality in existing laws:<\/strong> Experts argue that if there is plurality in already codified civil and criminal laws, how can the concept of \u2018<strong>one nation, one law\u2019 <\/strong>be applied to diverse personal laws of various communities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Issues with implementation:<\/strong> The implementation of the code has been difficult because India is a diverse country with various religious communities following their own personal laws.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It has been argued that the marriage and death rituals observed by<strong> tribal communities<\/strong> differ from Hindu customs, and there is concern that these practices may also face prohibition.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Challenge for Law and Order: <\/strong>It would be a tyranny to the minority and when implemented could bring a lot of unrest in the country.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Against Constitutional provisions:<\/strong> UCC is perceived as an infringement upon the constitutional right to freely exercise one\u2019s chosen religion found in <strong>Article 25 and 26<\/strong> and the <strong>Sixth Schedule<\/strong> of the Constitution<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Law Commission of India<\/strong> stated that a UCC \u201cis neither necessary nor desirable at this stage\u201d.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It recommended that discriminatory practices, prejudices and stereotypes within a particular religion and its personal laws should be studied and amended.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The authorities should consult with different sections of society before implementing the UCC to foster an environment of inclusivity, transparency, and respect for diverse perspectives throughout the process.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Law Commission expressed its support for achieving \u201cequality within communities\u201d as opposed to pursuing \u201cequality between\u201d communities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/political-pulse\/uttarakhand-clears-ucc-rules-9788945\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>IE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Cabinet of Uttarakhand approved the rules for the Uniform Civil Code.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35971"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35971\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35986,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35971\/revisions\/35986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}