On 7th February 2024, the Uttarakhand Assembly passed the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, becoming the first state in India to pass a law.

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On 7th February 2024, the Uttarakhand Assembly passed the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, becoming the first state in India to pass a law. This stems from Article 44 of the Constitution (Directive Principles of State Policy) which although not enforceable, obligates the State to strive to implement such a uniform law. The Bill will now be sent to the President for her assent after which it will become a law. The UCC Bill, which will now become an Act is based on the draft submitted by a high-level committee formed by the Uttarakhand government under the chairmanship of retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana P Desai. The Uniform Civil Code brings a common law for marriage, divorce, inheritance of property, etc, which were earlier governed by personal laws of every religion. The common code bars bigamy (marrying one person while still legally married to another) and polygamy (having multiple spouses simultaneously).


      The implementation of the Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand comes months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.

      The Uniform Civil Code has been one of the foundational items of BJP's agenda apart from the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

     

 

     


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