Vishnupriya
In a historic move, Uttarakhand became the first state in India to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the country. Marking the formal adoption of UCC, which was one of the BJP-led government’s poll promises in the state, Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Pushkar Singh Dhami launched the official UCC portal on Monday.
Sharing his views on UCC, Dhami said at the launch event, “Uniform Civil Code is a constitutional measure to end discrimination. Through this, an attempt has been made to give equal rights to all citizens. With its implementation, women’s empowerment will be ensured the true sense… I would like to clarify again that the Uniform Civil Code is not against any religion or sect, there is no question of targeting anyone.”
All about the Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand
‘The Rules of Uniform Civil Code, Uttarakhand, 2025 establish a comprehensive legal framework aimed at unifying personal laws related to marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, and succession for all citizens of Uttarakhand, irrespective of religion or community. These rules are designed to promote equality, fairness, and streamlined governance in civil matters,’ reads a statement on UCC’s portal, ucc.uk.gov.in.
Under the UCC laws, the legal age for marriage has been increased to 21 for men and 18 for women and it is now mandatory for couples to get their marriage registered under UCC.
UCC also bans polygamy, child marriage, triple talaq, nikah halala, iddat. It implements a uniform and common divorce law for all citizens of Uttarakhand, despite their gender, religion or community thus promoting equality. “Through this, evils like Halala, polygamy, child marriage, triple talaq etc can be completely stopped,” Dhami said at the UCC launch event on Monday.
The UCC is also applicable for live-in relationships, which makes it mandatory for live-in couples above 21 years of age to register it online. For those who are below 21 years and in a live-in relationship, they need to get parental consent to register their relationship. As per reports, this is applicable to everyone who is a “resident of Uttarakhand… (including those who are) in a live-in relationship outside the state”.
People who fail to register their live-in relationship under UCC or those who provide false details can get a fine of INR 25,000 or be sent to jail for three months or get both. Couples from Uttarakhand in live-in relationships need to register their relationship within a month as failing to do so in the given time period could land them in jail for up to three months, or be fined of INR 10,000, or get both.
The UCC is also applied to inheritance rights. The new law recognises kids born to couples in live-in couples as “legitimate child of the couple”, thus giving them equal inheritance rights regardless of their gender.
How to register marriage and live-in relationships on UCC website
The UCC portal, ucc.uk.gov.in, is available in 23 languages which helps in making it accessible to all. Meanwhile, a copy of the UCC Rules can be downloaded from the website in both Hindi and English languages.
Some of the services provided on the UCC website include: Registration of marriage/acknowledgement of registered marriage, registration of divorce/nullity of marriage, registration of live-in relationship, termination of live-in relationship, intestate succession-declaration of legal heirs, testamentary succession-registration of will, appeal, access to data/information, and register a complaint.
Hours after officially launching the UCC website, CM Dhami became the first person to register his marriage under the new laws on the website, thus encouraging others to do so too.
To register your marriage, follow the steps below:
1. Visit the government’s official UCC portal at ucc.uk.gov.in.
2. Click on the ‘Apply Now’ button to begin the registration process.
3. You can either use your Aadhaar number or virtual ID for authenticating the process.
4. Give your consent on the three mandatory aspects listed on the website during the process.
5. Enter the OTP which will be sent to your registered mobile number.
6. Submit the required details to complete and finalise your registration.
For those who would like to opt for offline registration, their Aadhaar number is not required. Instead, they can use their mobile number to get an OTP to complete the process.
While the UCC is applicable to all citizens of Uttarakhand, it is noted that it excludes Scheduled Tribes.
The UCC is mentioned in Article 44 of the Constitution, as per reports.
