The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill is all set to be tabled and debated today in the four-day special session of the Uttarakhand state assembly. Security has been tightened outside the assembly ahead of its tabling by the Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami-led BJP government in the state. The final draft of the UCC was cleared by the Uttarakhand Cabinet on Sunday. The special session was called to pass the Uniform Civil Code bill. Once implemented, Uttarakhand will become the first state in the country after Independence to adopt it.
Top Points
- Security has been tightened outside the Uttarakhand Assembly in Dehradun ahead of its tabling in the House today.
- A major poll promise of Dhami, the final draft of the UCC which ran into 740 pages across four volumes was submitted to him by a five-member panel.
- The panel formed by Dhami to prepare the UCC draft received 2.33 lakh written suggestions online and held more than 70 meetings to interact with around 60,000 people ahead of making the draft.
- The Implementation of the bill will provide a uniform legal framework for marriage, divorce, land, property and inheritance laws for all citizens across all faiths.
- As the Centre backs the bill, Congress is at loggerheads with the Dhami government in the state and walked out of a meeting to protest against the decision to waive the Question Hour in the special assembly session.
- The passage of the UCC Bill will mark the fulfilment of Dhami's most promised poll promise ahead of the 2022 Assembly polls.
- The Dhami government constituted a committee to prepare a draft for the UCC in March 2022.
- The panel for the UCC was headed by retired Supreme Court Judge Ranjana Prakash Desai.
According to sources, the bill will likely ban the practice of Halala and tighten rules around live-in relationships.
Read the Key Features of the bill here.