Professor who helped draft UCC says registrations meant ‘to preserve Uttarakhand’s demography’

The statement comes two weeks after the state government rolled out rules under the UCC. Among other things, the law aims to record marriages, divorces, and live-in relationships, sparking fears of possible moral policing among some sections.

Uttarakhand is the first state in India to have a codified law on UCC.

According to Dangwal, UCC “does not confer any extra benefits” on domiciled individuals.

“The criteria for permanent residency in Uttarakhand remain unchanged, and this was never a subject of discussion before the UCC committee,” she said. “The aim is merely to regulate personal laws to ensure that Uttarakhand’s society and culture are preserved, thus securing the demographic structure of the state. Moreover, it will help keep criminal elements in check”.

She also allayed fears of registrations of live-in relationships in the state. According to Dangwal, documents submitted for live-in relationship registration under UCC will be verified solely at the registrar’s level.

“When a live-in relationship application is received, the registrar will electronically provide a mere record of the relationship statement to the local police station in charge through the District Superintendent of Police. Access to this record, including for the local police station officer, will be strictly under the supervision of the District Superintendent of Police,” she said, adding that the regulations explicitly state that when sharing information with the police, the registrar must clearly mention that the details related to the live-in relationship statement are being provided solely for record-keeping purposes.

This comes at a time when some right-wing outfits have said they were “aware” of the interfaith couples among registrants and were “on the lookout for dangerous cases”, although authorities have denied this was the case.

Uttarakhand asks universities to hold workshops on UCC

Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand Home Department has written to various universities asking them to organise workshops “to provide teachers, students and staff with a clear understanding of the act”.

Addressing the vice-chancellors of Doon, Kumaon, Sri Dev Suman, Uttarakhand Mukt, and Soban Singh Jeena universities in the state, the home secretary Shailesh Bagoli said that the workshops need to be organised to raise awareness about the law.

“To raise awareness about the significance, provisions, and social and legal implications of the UCC, a workshop needs to be organised at your university. The primary objective of this workshop is to provide teachers, students, and relevant officials/employees with a clear understanding of the UCC, its implementation process, and the associated legal and administrative aspects,” the letters state.

It further instructed the VCs to ask relevant departments and subject experts in organising this workshop at the university. “Additionally, please prepare a detailed schedule for the workshop and ensure its timely execution. A copy of the Uniform Civil Code (both in soft copy and print) is enclosed with this letter. You are kindly requested to share it with all relevant departments and participants to facilitate the workshop with necessary reference materials,” it stated.