{"id":36698,"date":"2025-02-03T19:16:09","date_gmt":"2025-02-03T13:46:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=36698"},"modified":"2025-08-06T12:31:18","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T07:01:18","slug":"ucc-live-in-relationship-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/03-02-2025\/ucc-live-in-relationship-rules","title":{"rendered":"Rules For Registering Live-in Relationships Under UCC"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS1\/Society; GS2\/Government Policies &amp; Interventions<\/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 newly implemented <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/22-01-2025\/ucc-rules-in-uttarakhand\"><strong>Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Uttarakhand<\/strong><\/a> has introduced a set of detailed rules for registering live-in relationships, aiming to regulate such relationships and ensure that they are recognized legally.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>However, they have also sparked significant debate and raised concerns about privacy and state surveillance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About Live-in Relationships in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The concept of live-in relationships, where <strong>couples cohabit without formal marriage<\/strong>, has gained legal and social recognition in India over the past two decades.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Historical Context:<\/strong> Historically, Indian society has been rooted in traditional values, where marriage was the only recognized form of a committed relationship.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Live-in relationships were often stigmatized and faced societal disapproval.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>However, with the influence of globalization and exposure to Western culture, the acceptance of live-in relationships has grown.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Legal Recognition of Live-in Relationships in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Indian courts have acknowledged live-in relationships through various judgments, primarily invoking the <strong>Right to Life and Personal Liberty (Article 21)<\/strong> of the Constitution.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Various Judgements:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>S. Khushboo v. Kanniammal (2010)<\/strong>: It ruled that live-in relationships fall under the <strong>right to personal liberty.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Indra Sarma v. V.K.V. Sarma (2013)<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> It categorized live-in relationships into various types, recognizing those that resemble marriage under <strong>Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (PWDVA).<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>Chief Justice of India<\/strong> has emphasized that the <strong>freedom to choose a partner and form intimate relationships<\/strong> falls under the ambit of <strong>free speech and expression<\/strong>, as enshrined in <strong>Article 19(c) of the Constitution.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Protection Against Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (PWDVA):<\/strong> It includes within its ambit \u2018relationships in the nature of marriage\u2019, thereby extending protection to women in live-in relationships who face domestic violence.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In <strong>D. Velusamy v. D. Patchaiammal (2010)<\/strong>, the Court held that only relationships in the nature of marriage would be eligible for legal protection under domestic violence laws.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Inheritance and Maintenance Rights:<\/strong> In cases where the couple has children, the Supreme Court has held that children born out of live-in relationships are entitled to inheritance rights <strong>similar to those born to legally married parents.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Rules For Registering Live-in Relationships Under UCC<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Uttarakhand UCC mandates the registration of live-in relationships. It applies to both residents of Uttarakhand and individuals residing elsewhere in India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Registration Requirements:<\/strong> Under the UCC, couples entering into a live-in relationship must register their relationship <strong>both at the commencement and termination stages.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Supporting documents include Aadhaar-linked OTPs, a registration fee, and a certificate from a religious leader affirming the couple\u2019s eligibility for marriage if they wish to formalize their relationship.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Prohibited Relationships: <\/strong>The UCC Act specifies 74 prohibited relationships, with 37 each for men and women.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Couples falling within these degrees of prohibited relationships must obtain approval from religious leaders or community heads.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>registrar has the authority to reject registrations<\/strong> if they conclude that the relationship is against public morality or customs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Concerns and Impacts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Privacy Concern: <\/strong>It is argued that it constitutes a gross <strong>violation of the right to privacy<\/strong> enshrined in <strong>Article 21 of the Constitution<\/strong> (<strong>Justice K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India)<\/strong>, as <strong>increased state surveillance<\/strong> over private lives.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>New rules have raised concerns about the <strong>potential barriers<\/strong> they create for <strong>interfaith and inter-caste re<\/strong><strong>lationships.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rights of Women and Children:<\/strong> Currently, women in live-in relationships can claim maintenance under <strong>Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC)<\/strong> and <strong>PWDVA, 2005<\/strong>, but these rights are not absolute.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Protection Against Misuse:<\/strong> Individuals may enter into such relationships without long-term commitment but later claim legal rights, leading to legal disputes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Social and Cultural Challenges:<\/strong> It challenges <strong>traditional notions of family and marriag<\/strong><strong>e,<\/strong> and raises questions about the <strong>moral and ethical implications<\/strong> of live-in relationships, particularly in conservative communities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion and Way Forward<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>While the UCC in Uttarakhand aims to provide legal recognition and protection for live-in relationships, it also raises important concerns about privacy and state intervention.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The balance between regulating relationships and respecting individual autonomy will be crucial in ensuring that the new rules are implemented in a manner that promotes social harmony and protects the rights of individuals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If UCC replaces personal laws, there is a need to focus on:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>ensuring equal rights for women in live-in relationships.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>providing inheritance and maintenance rights similar to those in marriage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>clarifying the legal status of children born out of live-in relationships, especially regarding legitimacy and inheritance rights.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/how-uttarakhand-ucc-rules-for-live-in-relationships-raise-privacy-and-surveillance-concerns\/article69158545.ece\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source: TH<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The newly implemented Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Uttarakhand has introduced a set of detailed rules for registering live-in relationships, aiming to regulate such relationships and ensure that they are recognized legally.\u00a0<\/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-36698","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\/36698","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=36698"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50564,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36698\/revisions\/50564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}