- Uttarakhand became the first state in the country after independence to adopt UCC.
- A common civil code has been in place in Goa since the Portuguese Civil Code was adopted in 1867.
- UCC is set of laws that govern personal matters, including marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance, and succession, for all citizens regardless of religion.
- Article 44 of the constitution endeavors to secure UCC for citizens throughout Indian territory.
- Key features of the act
- Applicability: to all residents of Uttarakhand, except tribal communities.
- Regulates live-in relationships: stipulates registration of live-in relationships.
- Prohibits bigamy or marriages with more than one person.
- Inheritance: It extends equal property rights for sons and daughters across all classes.
- Need for UCC
- Ensuring Equality: Presently, different communities are governed by different personal laws.
- Gender Justice: It will promote gender justice by removing the inbuilt discriminatory provisions of personal laws.
- National Integration: It will separate religion from social relations and personal laws, ensuring equality and thus harmony in society.
- Also held by the Supreme Court in Mohd. Ahmed Khan v Shah Bano Begum (1985) case.
Challenges in the adoption of UCC
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