On Monday, Uttarakhand implemented the Common Civil Code (CCC), becoming the first Indian state to have done so. In a post on X, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami wrote, “Dear residents of the state, The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will be implemented in the state from January 27, 2025, making Uttarakhand the first state in independent India where this law will come into effect. All the necessary preparations have been completed to implement UCC, which includes approval of the rules of the Act and training of the concerned officials. UCC will bring uniformity in the society and ensure equal rights and responsibilities for all citizens. Uniform Civil Code is just an offering made by our state in the great yagya being done by the Prime Minister to make the country a developed, organized, harmonious and self-reliant nation. Under the Uniform Civil Code, an attempt has been made to bring uniformity in all laws relating to personal civil matters that discriminate on the basis of caste, religion, sex etc.”
The implementation of CCC marks a big move as it was one of BJP ‘s big promises during the 2022 Assembly elections in Uttarakhand. Earlier in January, speaking on the day of statehood of Uttarakhand, Dhami said, “We are celebrating 2025 as the silver jubilee year of statehood to Uttarakhand. It is going to be a year of big achievements. We have kept our promise of bringing a CCC. We will implement it in January. The Gangotri of CCC will spring from Uttarakhand and spread to the rest of the country.”
The Uttarakhand government has announced the implementation of the Common Civil Code (UCC) Act, 2024, which will regulate several personal laws such as marriage, divorce, succession, and live-in relationships across all residents of the state, excluding Scheduled Tribes and certain protected communities. It will introduce a uniform set of guidelines, ensuring equal legal treatment for all individuals regardless of religion. The key provisions include a uniform minimum marriageable age of 18 for women and 21 for men, along with a ban on polygamy and the practice of ‘halala.’ The law also establishes uniform grounds for divorce and standard procedures for all citizens.
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