What Are The Rules For Registering Live-In Relationships As UCC Is Implemented In Uttarakhand?

Dehradun: Uttarakhand has become the first state in India to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). The UCC gives priority to the protection of personal rights and regulates the laws on marriage, divorce, inheritance, and live-in relationships, among others. It applies to all residents of the state irrespective of their religion and bans polygamy and child marriage.

Now, as the law has been implemented, let’s take a look at how it will impact the live-in relationships and what all documents and protocol will have to be followed by the people.

For anyone entering into a live-in relationship in Uttarakhand, they will now have to follow below mentioned protocol:

• Under the UCC, only four documents including proof of residence, date of birth, Aadhaar and rental agreement documents are required at the time of live-in registration, officials said.
• A religious certificate from clergy members at the time of registering the relationship only if the partners have a pre-existing relation falling under the prohibited category.
• Some media reports have raised concern that a religious certificate from clergy members will be required for every live-in relationship registration. However, it will be required only in cases where the marriage between partners is prohibited.
• Such relationships have been clearly specified in Schedule 01 of the Code. In Uttarakhand, such marriages are extremely rare. This means that less than 1 per cent of UCC registrations in the state will require such a certificate.
• Communities, where marriages within the prohibited category occur, can still register their relationship by providing a religious certificate.
• Thus, the purpose of this requirement is not to restrict registrations but to assist applicants in completing the process. The format of the religious certificate has also been clearly defined in the UCC rules.
• Additionally, individuals who have been divorced must present a legal divorce decree, while those whose previous spouse has passed away or whose prior live-in relationship has ended must provide relevant documents at the time of registration.
• A member of the drafting committee clarified that under the UCC, any individual who has been living in Uttarakhand for one year is eligible for registration.
• This residency period is unrelated to permanent or native residency status. Many people from other states reside in Uttarakhand and availing benefit from government schemes. Now, only those who register under the UCC will be able to access these government services, thereby reducing the strain on Uttarakhand’s resources, he said.
• If the UCC is applied only to native and permanent residents, many people from other states would be excluded from its coverage, official said.
• They could marry in other states while benefiting from government schemes here. Moreover, the definition of "resident" in the UCC Act is specific to matters related to the UCC and includes five different categories.

Its objective is to ensure that all residents of Uttarakhand have access to UCC registration while also enriching the government's database. This process is similar to voter ID registration and is not linked to permanent or native residency.

With inputs from PTI