Uttarakhand Govt Directs Employees To Register Their Marriages Under UCC In Push For Compliance

Uttarakhand mandates marriage registration under its recently implemented Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

File Photo of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami

Source : facebook@pushkarsinghdhami.uk

The Uttarakhand government has directed its employees to register their marriages under the recently implemented Uniform Civil Code (UCC). In a letter addressed to district magistrates and department heads, Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Radha Raturi stated that marriage registration has been made mandatory under the UCC for marriages solemnised after 26 March 2010, according to an official release.  

To ensure compliance, district nodal officers nominated for UCC implementation will oversee the marriage registration of all married employees within their respective districts in a time-bound manner. “A regular report in this regard will be made available to the home secretary by each district every week,” Raturi stated, as per news agency PTI.  

Additionally, the chief secretary has instructed each department to nominate a nodal officer who will be responsible for ensuring marriage registration of married personnel in their respective departments. To facilitate seamless registration on the UCC portal, the director of the Uttarakhand Information Technology Development Agency has been directed to provide the necessary technical support to all districts and departments.  

Uttarakhand Govt Dismisses Rumours On Domicile Certificates Under UCC

Amid circulating misinformation regarding certain provisions of the UCC, the Uttarakhand home department last week clarified that there is no provision granting domicile certificates to outsiders based on marriage registration under the UCC.  

"It has come to notice that some people are spreading misleading and wrong information on social media and other means regarding some provisions of the UCC, such as outsiders will get the residence certificate (domicile) of the state by registering marriage under UCC in Uttarakhand. This is a wrong and misleading fact," the home department said, as per news agency ANI.  

The department further stated that marriage registration under the UCC has no connection to domicile certificates and warned of legal action under Section 353 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against those spreading false information. It urged the public to rely only on official sources and refrain from spreading rumours. Those seeking clarification on any provision related to the UCC were advised to contact the Uttarakhand home department through official channels.  

Uttarakhand became the first state in India to implement the UCC, with CM Dhami launching the UCC portal and rules on 27 January 2025, marking a significant step towards social justice and equality.  

The Uniform Civil Code establishes a common set of personal laws applicable to all residents of Uttarakhand, irrespective of religion, gender, or caste. It governs aspects such as marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance, and succession. However, the Act does not apply to Scheduled Tribes (STs) notified under Article 342 and Article 366(25) of the Constitution, or to protected authority-empowered persons and communities under Part XXI.  

Under the UCC, marriages can only be solemnised between individuals meeting specific criteria: neither party should have a living spouse, both should be mentally capable of giving legal consent, the man must be at least 21 years old, the woman at least 18, and they must not be within the ambit of prohibited relationships.