Uttarakhand UCC Bill: UCC Bill has been passed in the cabinet headed by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. Now on February 6, it will be placed on the table of the Assembly. The assembly will run from February 5 to February 8. Cabinet Minister Dhan Singh Rawat said, Uttarakhand is a small state but is going to do big work and with the blessings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttarakhand will set an example in the whole of India.
Uttarakhand UCC Bill: Pushkar Singh Dhami’s government in Uttarakhand has approved the final draft of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). It will be presented in the Assembly on 6 February. The assembly session is also starting from today. This special session has been called especially to make law for UCC. Cabinet approval was necessary before presenting the draft on the table of the House. The Draft Committee has made provisions ranging from polygamy to ban on child marriage. Along with this, it has also been recommended to give equal rights in property to the children born from illicit relations.
The 740-page draft committee report has been prepared by a five-member committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai. It was handed over to CM Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday. The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill aims to bring uniformity in civil laws. That means having uniform laws for every citizen. Under the Uniform Civil Code, the same law will apply to all religions in matters of marriage, divorce and division of property. This law is related to social matters. It applies equally to people of all religions in matters like marriage, divorce, maintenance, inheritance and child adoption etc. On Sunday, the Uttarakhand Cabinet led by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has given its approval to the UCC Bill. According to sources, there are some important features of the UCC bill.
Equal property rights for son and daughter: The Uniform Civil Code Bill prepared by the Uttarakhand government has ensured equal rights in property for both son and daughter, irrespective of their category. Sons and daughters of all categories have been given equal rights in property.
The distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children will be eliminated: The Bill aims to eliminate the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children with respect to property rights. Children born from illicit relations will also have equal rights in property. All children will get recognition as biological children. Illegitimate children are considered the biological children of the couple.
Equality between adopted and biologically born children: The Uniform Civil Code Bill makes no distinction between children born through adoption, surrogacy or assisted reproductive technology. He is considered a biological child like other biological children and is given equal rights.
Equal property rights after death: After the death of a person, the spouse and children are given equal property rights. Apart from this, equal rights have also been given to the parents of the deceased person. This is completely different from previous laws. Under the previous law, only the mother had the right in the property of the deceased.
Other objectives of UCC…
The primary objective of the bill is to create a legal structure that ensures consistency in marriage, divorce, land, property and inheritance laws for all citizens of the state, irrespective of their religion.
According to reports, other major recommendations of the committee that drafted the bill include a complete ban on polygamy (more than one marriage) and child marriage. There should be a uniform marriageable age for girls in all religions and similar grounds and procedures to be followed for divorce.
We will move forward, Pushkar Singh Dhami on UCC
After the cabinet meeting, CM Pushkar Singh Dhami said, the Uniform Civil Code report has been approved during the cabinet meeting. We will move towards making it a law. Cabinet Minister Dhan Singh Rawat said, Uttarakhand is a small state but is going to do big work and with the blessings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttarakhand will set an example in the whole of India.
There is no mention of UCC bill in the assembly notification today i.e. Monday. A separate meeting will be held under the chairmanship of Speaker Ritu Khanduri with Leader of Opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prem Chand Agarwal. UCC bill can be introduced tomorrow. Tributes will be paid on the demise of the sitting MLA on the first day of the session. Dhami government can present UCC bill in the assembly on the next day. There are total 70 seats in Uttarakhand. BJP has 47 seats, this will ease the implementation of the bill.
