On Tuesday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami of Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) introduced a Uniform Civil Code bill (UCC) in the Legislative Assembly.
UCC is a set of laws that govern and regulate personal matters such as marriage, divorce, succession, adoption, living relationships, and other matters like this. This bill aims to replace present diverse personal laws that vary based on religious affiliation. 
In 2022, the Uttarakhand government formed a panel led by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, which also includes retired justice Pramod Kohli, former Chief Secretary Shatrughan Singh, social activist Manu Gaur, and Doon University Vice Chancellor Surekha Dangwal who drafted a report of 740 pages, 4 volumes.
Here’s What the Uttarakhand’s UCC Bill says –
- This bill provision does not apply to tribal communities
The idea of UCC is to create a set of laws uniform regarding personal matters for all citizens. However, UCC bill provisions do not apply to tribal communities as tribal communities have their own unique set of customs and practices.
- The bill aims to regulate live-in relationships
The bill makes it mandatory for people in live-in relationships to register their relationship in the registrar. Then, the registrar will conduct an inquiry to ensure that the relationship is not prohibited under Section 380.
The bill added that a couple living in a live-in relationship has to register their relationship within a month and, if not done, shall be punished with imprisonment up to three months or a fine up to Rs 10,000 or both. Will also have to inform the registrar in case of termination of the relationship.
- The bill’s regulation on marriage
The bill prohibits bigamy or marriage with more than one person is prohibited. The marriage age for men and women remains 21 and 18 respectively. If two persons in a relationship share a common ancestry, it will come under “degrees of prohibited relationship”.
- The bill on Adoption and Property rights
The bill aims to give equal property rights to sons and daughters, talks about the elimination of the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, the inclusion of adopted and biological children, and gives equal property rights after death. 
Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal said, “This is not just the issue of the Centre; the makers of the Constitution had discussed this even when the Constitution was being made. Right now, this matter is under consideration with the Law Commission of India and is in the consultation process.”
Public Opinion on the Bill
As the news about the bill came out, X platform witnessed varying opinions.
One side said this is like legalizing moral policing and suppressing female freedom, one jokingly said this gives landlords another reason to harass and bully and one accused BJP of dividing people and pushing uniformity instead of unity. While the others called it a responsible and progressive step. 
Is the bill progressive or does this law enter your personal space and police your choices? Doesn’t it affect the queer relationship that does not necessarily fit into the box of the cisgender relationship? Doesn’t it affect religious minority communities, does it support their faith?
And What about inter-caste couples who chose live-in relationships to escape honor killings? There are many questions to ponder…
